PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



JOHN DOUGLAS ADAM, D.D. 



ASSOCIATION PRESS 
New York: 124 East 28th Street 
London: 47 Paternoster Row, E.G. 
1912 



.A3 



COPYRIGHT, I 91 2, BY 
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF 
YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATIONS 



The Bible Text used in this volume is taken from the American Standard edition 
of the Revised Bible, copyright, 1901, by Thomas Nelson & Sons, and is used by 
permission. 

£ci,A305774 



mo 1 



SECTION I. 



Epistles to the Corinthians 



Sunday, First Week, 1 Cor. 1:1-9. 

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through 
the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 unto the 
church of God which is at Corinth, even them that are 
sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all 
that call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every 
place, their Lord and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from 
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

4 I thank my God always concerning you, for the 
grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus; 5 that 
in everything ye were enriched in him, in all utterance 
and all knowledge; 6 even as the testimony of Christ was 
confirmed in you: 7 so that ye come behind in no gift; 
waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ; 8 who 
shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye be unre- 
provable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is 
faithful, through whom ye were called into the fellowship 
of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Saint Paul had received letters from some of the Chris- 
tians in Corinth which revealed a most unfortunate state 
of affairs in the Church there. There was strife, and there 
were moral lapses. 

The Apostle, in seeking to write of the situation, begins 
by emphasizing his relation to the Church. He is not an 
officious person. He is an apostle of Christ by the will of 
God. And he is not an arrogant man, for he shares his 
spiritual authority with Sosthenes. He is not seeking soli- 
tary distinction. He simply longs with the boldness of 
Divine authority, and the lowliness of Christian comrade- 
ship, to serve the Church of Christ. 

3 



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PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



The Apostle gives some of the marks of a true church: 

(1) The sanctified, those who are surrendered to Christ, 
forgiven, and possessed by the Spirit. 

(2) Those who are progressing in holiness. 

(3) Those who are catholic in their Christian sympa- 
thies. 

(4) The bond of unity between Christians: "our Lord 
both theirs and ours." 

Divine Master, may I be a true member of Thy Holy 
Church, and a true worker, also. Make me fearless and 
lowly, loving and strong. 

Monday, First Week, 1 Cor. 1 :10-17. 

10 Now I beseech you, brethren, through the name of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, 
and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be 
perfected together in the same mind and in the same 
judgment. 11 For it hath been signified unto me con- 
cerning you, my brethren, by them that are of the house- 
hold of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. 

12 Now this I mean, that each one of you saith, I am of 
Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 

13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were 
ye baptized into the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that 
I baptized none of you, save Crispus and Gaius; 15 lest 
any man should say that ye were baptized into my name. 
16 And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: 
besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. 17 
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the 
gospel: not in wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ 
should be made void. 

There were divisions in the Church. Some were for Paul, 
others for Apollos, others for Peter, and yet others for 
Christ. That is to say, some of the members of the Corin- 
thian Church were tempted to lose sight of Christ, in their 
enthusiasm for preachers ; while some others were tempted 
to have contempt for preachers in their possession of Christ. 
These two temptations are with us still. 

All divisions- among Christians are based upon false 
emphasis. Saint Paul did not minimize the importance of 
baptism. He simply was careful to keep the emphasis of 
his ministry in line with the mind of Christ. 

Teach me, Lord Jesus, to give Thee the supreme place in 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 5 



Thy Church. May I never eclipse Thy presence by my devo- 
tion to Thy servants, and may my sense of Thy nearness 
not obscure to my eyes the true function of Thy servants. 

Tuesday, First Week, 1 Cor. 1 :18-22. 

18 For the word of the cross is to them that perish 
foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power 
of God. 19 For it is written. 

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, 

And the discernment of the discerning will I bring 
to nought. 

20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is 
the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish 
the wisdom of the world? 21 For seeing that in the wis- 
dom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, 
it was God's good pleasure through the foolishness 
of the preaching to save them that believe. 22 Seeing 
that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom: 

It is a marvelous asset in life to have a clear view of 
what one's work really is. The apostle Paul had the power 
that came from definiteness of purpose and simplicity 
of method. It enabled him to leave his reputation abso- 
lutely in the hands of God. He was unmoved when men 
spoke of his message as foolishness. 

The appeal to pure reason is not enough in order to reach 
lives with Christ's message, because there is so much more 
than reason in human personality, which has to be influ- 
enced before decisions are made. And there are elements 
in personality even more difficult to move than reason. 
And when these are influenced they wonderfully affect 
reason. We are learning more and more every day that 
intellect is very far from being everything in religious 
apprehension. 

Wednesday, First Week, 1 Cor. 1:23-31. 

23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto Jews a 
stumbling-block, and unto Gentiles foolishness; 24 but 
unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ 
the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25 Because 
the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weak- 
ness of God is stronger than men. 

26 For behold your calling, brethren, that not many 
wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble. 



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PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



are called: 27 but God chose the foolish things of the 
world, that he might put to shame them that are wise; 
and God chose the weak things of the world, that he 
might put to shame the things that are strong; 28 and 
the base things of the world, and the things that are 
despised, did God choose, yea and the things that are not, 
that he might bring to nought the things that are: 29 
that no flesh should glory before God. 30 But of him 
are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom 
from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and re- 
demption: 31 that, according as it is written, He that 
glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 

The fact of Christ being the power of God is indicated 
by the triumphs of His Church, and by the spiritual ex- 
perience of believers. That type of Christian consciousness 
born of fellowship with Christ in His passion and risen life 
is the richest, the deepest, the truest to the apostolic con- 
ception of Christian experience. 

Saint Paul says not many wise men are called. Why? 
Is it not because they are supremely tempted to give in- 
tellect the absolute right of way in their lives without 
realizing that life contains more than intellect? Faith has 
rights, and those rights are recognized in other directions 
in human affairs. Faith is an instinct, not contrary to 
pure reason, but beyond it. Some great minds forget to 
let that faith faculty which they allow a place in other 
decisions have its legitimate place in religion. 

Thursday, First Week, 1 Cor. 2 :l-5. 

1 And I, brethren, when I came unto you, came not 
with excellency of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to 
you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to 
know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him 
crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, 
and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preach- 
ing were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in 
demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 that your 
faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the 
power of God. 

The thought here is that the method of approach to 
those who are not Christians is by declaring a testimony 
regarding Christ and His cross. It is not so much the 
making of an argument as a statement of a fact, de- 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 



7 



livered in simple language and with a deep sense of human 
frailty, but at the same time in the strong assurance that 
the Divine Spirit is using it for the establishing of the 
faith of men. 

The ability to win others to Christ, the apostle declares, 
is not in the posession of great mental gifts, but rather in 
a strong faith that the Holy Spirit will use the message of 
the story of the cross of Christ. The least accomplished 
may be greatly used of the Spirit if they have faith. 

Divine Spirit, I would trust Thee this day to use me, as 
I speak of Jesus to some life, to bless my words, weak and 
faltering though they may be. May I judge the result, 
not by my feelings, but according to Thy promise, 

Friday, First Week, 1 Cor 2:6-12. 

6 We speak wisdom, however, among them that are 
full-grown: yet a wisdom not of this world, nor of the 
rulers of this world, who are coming to nought: 7 but 
we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, even the wisdom 
that hath been hidden, which God foreordained before the 
worlds unto our glory; 8 which none of the rulers of 
this world hath known: for had they known it, they would 
not have crucified the Lord of glory: 9 but as it is 
written, 

Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not, 
And which entered not into the heart of man, 
Whatsoever things God prepared for them that love 
him. 

10 But unto us God revealed them through the Spirit: 
for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things 
of God. 11 For who among men knoweth the things of a 
man, save the spirit of the man which is in him? even so 
the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God. 
12 But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the 
spirit which is from God; that we might know the things 
that were freely given to us of God. 

There is a spiritual wisdom which becomes the possession 
of those who are living in obedience to the Divine Spirit. 
There is a perception of truth which does not come from 
books, a direct illumination which teaches one more in a 
day of eager listening to the inner voice than the teaching 
of the schools can give in many days. Besides it is a wis- 
dom which becomes part of the working capital of the daily 
life. It is a wisdom which may be shared with other Chris- 



8 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



tians for their comfort and inspiration because it comes 
directly out of the victories of common life. 

Teach me, Divine Spirit, this heavenly wisdom, the 
knowledge which comes to me as I yield myself to Thy will. 
May I share it with others, and thus make it more and 
more my own. 

Saturday, First Week, 1 Cor. 2:13-16. 

13 Which things also we speak, not in words which 
man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth; 
combining spiritual things with spiritual words. 14 Now 
the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of 
God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot 
know them, because they are spiritually judged. 15 But 
he that is spiritual judgeth all things, and he himself is 
judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of 
the Lord, that he should instruct him? But we have the 
mind of Christ. 

The truths of which Christians speak and which have 
been taught them by the vSpirit have not come to them 
through mere reasoning. They are the result of the spirit- 
ual vision of obedient souls. Without obedience it is im- 
possible to discern what the Spirit has to teach. Study 
cannot do it alone. And should there not be more conversa- 
tion among Christians concerning those things which the 
Spirit has taught? 

Surely it is a great lack in our friendships if we can 
speak of everything else that is real to us, and yet be 
embarrassed, or misunderstood, when we venture to speak 
with simplicity and modesty of the greatest facts in ex- 
perience. 

Divine Master, may I learn to share with my friends 
what Thou art teaching me. Help me to conquer my feel- 
ings, that I may bring help and cheer to others. 

Sunday, Second Week, 1 Cor. 3:1-8. 

1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto 
spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ. 2 I 
fed you with milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able 
to bear it: nay, not even now are ye able; 3 for ye are 
yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and 
strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 9 



manner of men? 4 For when one saith, I am of Paul; 
and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not men? 5 What 
then is Apollos? and what is Paul? Ministers through 
whom ye believed; and each as the Lord gave to him. 6 
I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 
V So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he 
that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8 Now 
he that planteth and he that watereth are one: but each 
shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. 

When Christians live in the spirit of envy and strife 
they are expressing their baser selves. The spiritual life 
is being arrested in its development. And consequently 
they are not able to receive truth that belongs to mature 
souls. They remair in a spiritual infancy and have to be 
treated as infants. 

The over-emphasis of the human instruments in the wor-k 
of God is a part of spiritual childishness. And it obscures 
the divine Worker who alone gives all human effort its 
effectiveness. And all over-emphasis of the human is dis- 
honoring to God. 

Heavenly Father, keep me this day from going backward 
into spiritual childishness. May my life go from strength 
to strength and thus be enabled to discern Thy work and 
place in all human achievements. 

Monday, Second Week, 1 Cor. 3:9-15. 

9 For we are God's fellow-workers: ye are God's 
husbandry, God's building. 

10 According to the grace of God which was given 
unto me, as a wise masterbuilder I laid a foundation: and 
another buildeth thereon. But let each man take heed 
how he buildeth thereon. 11 For other foundation can 
no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 
12 But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, 
costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 each man's work 
shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, be- 
cause it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove 
each man's work of what sort it is. 14 If any man's 
work shall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive 
a reward. 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall 
suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as 
through fire. 

God is the supreme worker. The plans are His. The 
power is His. He has laid the foundation upon which all 



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PAUL IX EVERYDAY LIFE 



true Christian work must be built, and that foundation is 
Christ. 

And there are two kinds of building upon the foundation, 
that which is in fellowship with the Spirit of God under 
His direction, and that which is merely one's own efforts. 
The one is gold, silver, precious stones. The other is wood, 
hay, stubble. 

And all work is tested. Only that which is inspired, di- 
rected and capitalized by the Divine Spirit survives. All 
that is inspired by mere ambition and self-will, and rivalry, 
must perish. And are we not conscious that all work which 
has not the right motive perishes even before the judgment- 
seat of our own conscience? 

Tuesday, Second Week, 1 Cor. 3 :16-23. 

16 Know ye not that ye are a temple of God, and that 
the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man 
destroyeth the temple of God, him shall God destroy; 
for the temple of God is holy, and such are ye. 

18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man thinketh 
that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a 
fool, that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of 
this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He 
that taketh the wise in their craftiness: 20 and again, 
The Lord knoweth the reasonings of the wise, that they 
are vain. 21 Wherefore let no one glory in men. For 
all things are yours; 22 whether Paul, or Apollos, or 
Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, 
or things to come; all are yours; 23 and ye are Christ's; 
and Christ is God's. 

To injure one's own life physically, mentally, or spirit- 
ually is to impair God's opportunity of expression through 
a personality. 

We owe it to the Divine Spirit to keep our complex being 
in that condition which shall be an effective channel of 
His will. Care of the physical body is no trifle since it is 
a means by which God reveals Himself. The habit of men- 
tal concentration is necessary in order that the mind should 
be a conductor of the Spirit's purpose. 

Human life is God's opportunity. And we must learn to 
see God in it. If we are letting God have His way in us, 
we shall be able to see Him having His way in others. 
And to see God expressing Himself through another life 
is the most beautiful sight in the world. 



BPISTLBS TO THE CORINTHIANS 



Lord, may my eyes be wide open to see Thee in the lives 
about me. Teach me to trace events back to Thee. And 
may this vision come to me as I yield my own personality 
to Thy plan. 

Wednesday, Second Week, 1 Cor. 4:1-8. 

1 Let a man so account of us as of ministers of 
Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Here, 
moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found 
faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I 
should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I 
judge not mine own self. 4 For I know nothing against 
myself; yet am I not hereby justified: But he that judgeth 
me is the Lord. 5 Wherefore judge nothing before the 
time, until the Lord come, who will both bring to light 
the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the 
counsels of the hearts; and then shall each man have his 
praise from God. 

6 Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure trans- 
ferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes; that in us ye 
might learn not to go beyond the things which are writ- 
ten; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against 
the other. 7 For who maketh thee to differ? and what 
has thou that thou didst not receive? but if thou didst re- 
ceive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received 
it? 8 Already are ye filled, already ye are become rich, ye 
have come to reign without us; yea and I would that ye 
did reign, that we also might reign with you. 

There are various ways in which one may be independent 
of the criticisms of others. Some are too careless to care. 
Others are too haughty to care. But the servant of Christ 
is independent of criticism because he brings his inner and 
outer life before the judgment-seat of his Master. And 
when one is living in the companionship of Christ he will 
never be greatly moved by the criticism of his fellows. To 
live under the judgment of Christ means freedom from 
introspection and from the fear of men. 

Blessed Master, may I be so completely Thine in thought 
and life that I shall be free from self-consciousness and 
from the dominion of the world. I would this day rejoice 
in the liberty wherewith Thou dost make me free. 

Thursday, Second Week, 1 Cor. 4:9-16. 
9 For, I think, God hath set forth us the apostles last 



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PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



of all. as men doomed to death: for we are made a spec- 
tacle unto the world, both to angels and men. 10 We are 
fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are 
weak, but ye are strong; ye have glory, but we have dis- 
honor. 11 Even unto this present hour we both hunger 
and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no 
certain dwelling-place; 12 and we toil, working with our 
own hands; being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we 
endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat; we are made as 
the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things, even 
until now. 

14 I write not these things to shame you, but to ad- 
monish you as my beloved children. 15 For though ye 
have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet have ye not many 
fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gos- 
pel. 16 I beseech you therefore, be ye imitators of me. 

There is a great difference between the lives of some 
workers and those among whom they work; the workers, 
w T ith no obligation to work save the love of God in their 
hearts, living lives of complete self-sacrifice, sometimes 
misunderstood and misrepresented, keeping on in unabated 
enthusiasm, while those for whom they toil live in easy, 
satisfied indifference. 

That was the story of Saint Paul's experience and it is 
true of some of Christ's servants to-day. And it is a 
glorious triumph for the grace of God in human hearts 
when disinterested love is not chilled into mere calculating 
service, but continues in fresh, joyous, unwearied efforts. 

Divine Master, keep me from becoming chilled by the 
easy, self-satisfied living of those for whom I labor. May 
I not withdraw my enthusiasm for service because it meets 
with indifferent response. Save me from all forms of cyni- 
cism through abiding fellowship with Thyself. 

Friday, Second Week, 1 Cor. 4:17-21. 

17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timothy, who 
is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who shall 
put you in remembrance of my ways which are in Christ, 
even as I teach everywhere in every church. 18 Now 
some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. 
19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will; and 
I will know, not the word of them that are puffed up, 
but the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in word 
but in power. 21 What will ye? shall I come unto you 
with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness? 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 13 



It is of great service to hear testimony concerning con- 
spicious self-sacrifice. We do not hear enough about it. 
The literature where it is to be found is not sufficiently 
brought before our young people. Modern missionary 
biography reveals it with dramatic power. And it is a 
needed tonic against softness, self-seeking, and complaint in 
life. And it is the lack, in an indolent life, of contrasting 
his behavior with heroic characters which gives rise to 
conceit. The man who is puffed up measures his life by 
the wrong standards. 

Heavenly Father, I would this day bring my life into the 
presence of some of Thy servants who counted not their lives 
dear unto themselves that they might do Thy holy will. 
May the contrast between their lives and mine lead me to 
give myself anew in sacrificial service to Christ. 

Saturday, Second Week, 1 Cor. 5 :I«8. 

1 It is actually reported that there is fornication 
among you, and such fornication as is not even among 
the Gentiles, that one o£ you hath his father's wife. 2 
And ye are puffed up, and did not rather mourn, that he 
that had done this deed might be taken away from among 
you. 3 For I verily, being absent in body but present in 
spirit, have already as though I were present judged him 
that hath so wrought this thing, 4 in the name of our 
Lord Jesus, ye being gathered together, and my spirit, 
with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 to deliver such a one 
unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit 
may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 6 Your 
glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven 
leaveneth the whole lump? 7 Purge out the old leaven, 
that ye may be a new lump, even as ye are unleavened. 
For our passover also hath been sacrificed, even Christ; 
8 wherefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, 
neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but 
with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 

Purity of life was a condition of the Christian fellowship 
even when the members of the Church were just emerging 
from pagan civilization. How much more after centuries 
of Christianity must purity be the watchword of Christian 
character. 

The thought and conduct of Christians must be beyond 
the practice of the times in which they live. They must 
be the educators of the social conscience; "For they are 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



the pioneers of progress. 

Therefore the Church must stand for the highest. If she 
does not, then she has ceased to fulfill her mission,she has 
really no place in a community. 

Sunday, Third Week, 1 Cor. 5:9-13. 

9 I wrote unto you in my epistle to have no company 
with fornicators; 10 not at all meaning with the fornica- 
tors of this world, or with the covetous and extortion- 
ers, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of 
the world: 11 but as it is, I wrote unto you not to keep 
company, if any man that is named a brother be a forni- 
cator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunk- 
ard, or an extortioner; with such a one no, not to eat. 12 
For what have I to do with judging them that are with- 
out? Do not ye judge them that are within? 13 But them 
that are without God judgeth. Put away the wicked man 
from among yourselves. 

The follower of Christ must not only be true in his per- 
sonal character, he must also be sound in his associations. 
To choose as one's close friends those who are out of sym- 
pathy with spiritual living must mean the suppression of 
what is most real to one. Companionship in the true sense 
means the sharing of what is of deepest interest. And 
unless there is sympathy in the things of Christ one is 
tempted to be silent in his testimony and, at the same 
time, he is deprived of a great means of inspiration 

Monday, Third Week, 1 Cor. 6 :l-8. 

1 Dare any of you, having a matter against his neigh- 
bor, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the 
saints? 2 Or know ye not that the saints shall judge the 
world? and if the world is judged by you, are ye un- 
worthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Know ye not that 
we shall judge angels? how much more, things that per- 
tain to this life? 4 If then ye have to judge things per- 
taining to this life, do ye set them to judge who are of 
no account in the church? 5 I say this to move you to 
shame. What, cannot there be found among you one 
wise man who shall be able to decide between his 
brethren, 6 but brother goeth to law with brother, and 
that before unbelievers? 7 Nay, already it is altogether 
a defect in you, that ye have lawsuits one with another. 
Why not rather take wrong? Why not rather be de- 



BPISTLBS TO THE CORINTHIANS 15 



frauded? 8 Nay, but ye yourselves do wrong, and de- 
fraud, and that your brethren. 

To bring a matter before the courts in a Christian coun- 
try is not the same as members of a Christian church bring- 
ing disputes before a heathen judiciary. But even in a 
Christian land the courts should be the last place of appeal. 
Where the Christian spirit exists there are very many ways 
to settle problems. The Christian spirit itself settles many 
otherwise difficult situations. 

Teach me, O my Master, to remember that I have sacred 
duties as well as rights in my life and lot. Give me the 
humble, self-effacing spirit which conquers by surrender. 

Tuesday, Third Week, 1 Cor. 6 :9-14. 

9 Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit 
the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornica- 
tors, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor 
abusers of themselves with men, 10 nor thieves, nor 
covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, 
shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were 
some of you: but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, 
but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus 
Christ, and in the Spirit of our God. 

12 All things are lawful for me; but not all things are 
expedient. All things are lawful for me; but I will not 
be brought under the power of any. 13 Meats for the 
belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall bring to 
nought both it and them. But the body is not for forni- 
cation, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body: 14 
and God both raised the Lord and will raise up us 
through his power. 

It is the glory of the Gospel that Christ can cleanse the 
most sinful soul. His forgiving grace can absolve the worst 
man who ever lived if he comes in penitent faith. Such 
may be washed. And the Divine Spirit will begin the 
process of sanctification. 

Salvation is an act and a process. Faith, not feeling, not 
trying to do better, but simple trust in the Saviour and 
His promise, brings forgiveness. Obedience to the voice 
of the indwelling Spirit day by day is the way of spiritual 
growth. 

Heavenly Father, I thank Thee for the story of Thy for- 
giving love in Christ; and that my shortcomings, mistakes, 



i6 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



and sins need not keep me from Thy presence. Help me 
with confidence to believe that I am Thine, and therefore, 
in gratitude, to give my life to Thy service. 

Wednesday, Third Week, 1 Cor. 6 :15-20. 

15 Know ye not that your bodies are members of 
Christ; shall I then take away the members of Christ, 
and make them members of a harlot? God forbid. 16 Or 
know ye not that he that is joined to a Jiarlot is one 
body? for, The twain, saith he, shall become one flesh. 17 
But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 18 Flee 
fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the 
body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against 
his own body. 19 Or know ye not that your body is a 
temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have 
from God? and ye are not your own; 20 for ye were 
bought with a price; glorify God therefore in your body. 

All through the Bible God insists upon the consecration 
of the body. For the body belongs to the Divine Spirit. 
It is His channel of expression. Impurity is the lowest 
possible degradation of the temple of the Holy Ghost. 
Christ gave Himself, not only for the redemption of the 
soul, but for the redemption of the mind and body. And 
God cannot be glorified in the body in the Christian sense 
unless He is also glorified in the mind. Mental concen- 
tration is the highway of the Spirit. And it is along that 
road He travels to the conquest of the bodily life. 

Divine Spirit, I would yield my mind to Thee. Thou 
art seeking at this moment to think through it. May no 
irrelevant, no merely impulsive suggestions capture my 
thoughts. Keep my mind stayed upon the work Thou hast 
for me to do. 

Thursday, Third Week, 1 Cor. 7 :l-9. 

1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote: It is 
good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 But, because of 
fornications, let each man have his own wife, and let 
each woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband 
render unto the wife her due: and likewise also the wife I 
unto the husband. 4 The wife hath not power over her 
own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband 
hath not power over his own body, but the wife. 5 De- 
fraud ye not one the other, except it be by consent for a 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 17 



season, that ye may give yourselves unto prayer, and may 
be together again, that Satan tempt you not because of 
your incontinency. 6 But this I say by way of concession, 
not of commandment. 7 Yet I would that all men were 
even as I myself. Howbeit each man hath his own gift 
from God, one after this manner, and another after that. 

8 But I say to the unmarried and to widows, It is good 
for them if they abide even as I. 9 But if they have not 
continency, let them marry: for it is better to marry 
than to burn. 

The great end of Christian character is to live a holy, use- 
ful life. Every one must be clearly convinced in his or her 
own mind how best that end can be achieved. But the 
dominating purpose of living for God must dictate one's 
method of life. Some feel that they can serve God better 
unmarried. Others are convinced that they can be of 
greater use, and less liable to make a shipwreck of charac- 
ter, in the married state. But in whatever state one lives 
spiritual efficiency must be the passion of the redeemed life. 

Friday, Third Week, 1 Cor. 7 :10-19. 

10 But unto the married I give charge, yea not I, but 
the Lord, That the wife depart not from her husband 11 
(but should she depart, let her remain unmarried, or else 
be reconciled to her husband); and that the husband leave 
not his wife. 12 But to the rest say I, not the Lord: If 
any brother hath an unbelieving wife, and she is content 
to dwell with him, let him not leave her. 13 And the wo- 
man that hath an unbelieving husband, and he is content 
to dwell with her, let her not leave her husband. 14 For 
the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the 
unbelieving wife is sanctified in the brother: else were 
your children unclean; but now are they holy. 15 Yet if 
the unbelieving departeth, let him depart: the brother or 
the sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God 
hath called us in peace. 16 For how knowest thou, O wife, 
whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest 
thou, O husband, whether thou shalt save thy wife? 17 
Only, as the Lord hath distributed to each man, as # God 
hath called each, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all 
the churches. 18 Was any man called being circumcised? 
let him not become uncircumcised. Hath any been called 
in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. 19 Cir- 
cumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but 
the keeping of the commandments of God e 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



The need for patience, restraint, forbearance in the 
married life is one of the solemn, urgent necessities in our 
land. Selfish and undisciplined natures are sundering the 
holy bond without regard to their promise on the wedding 
day. There is a loud call for the Christian interpretation 
of marriage by the courts, through the establishment of 
uniform federal laws dealing with divorce. 

But the disciple of Christ, who owns His Master's rule, 
lives even above the laws of the land. His law of life 
and conduct is written not on the statute books, but upon 
his regenerated heart. 

Saturday, Third Week, 1 Cor. 7 :20-31. 

20 Let each man abide in that calling wherein he was 
called. 21 Wast chou called being a bondservant? care not 
for it; nay, even if thou canst become free, use it rather. 
22 For he that was called in the Lord being a bondser- 
vant, is the Lord's freedman: likewise he that was called 
being free, is Christ's bondservant. 23 Ye were bought 
with a price; become not bondservants of men. 24 Breth- 
ren, let each man wherein he was called, therein abide 
with God. 

25 Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of 
the Lord: but I give my judgment, as one that hath ob- 
tained mercy of the Lord to be trustworthy. 26 I think 
therefore that this is good by reason of the distress that is 
upon us, namely, that it is good for a man to be as he is. 

27 Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. 
Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. 28 But 
shouldst thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a 
virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Yet such shall have 
tribulation in the flesh: and I would spare you. 29 But 
this I say, brethren, the time is shortened, that hence- 
forth both those that have wives may be as though they 
had none; 30 and those that weep, as though they wept 
not; and those that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; 
and those that buy, as though they possessed not; 31 
and those that use the world, as not using it to the full; 
for the fashion of this world passeth away. 

There are some things one would not do over again. 
More light has come. One would not take up the same 
work, he might not make the same connections. But that 
fact does not release any one from the obligations which 
have been assumed. 

Christianity does not make light of our relations with 



BP I ST LBS TO THB CORINTHIANS 



human society. It may be easier to sunder a relationship 
than to exercise patience and strength in it. But it is not 
nearly so Christian. 

Heavenly Father, help me to be true to the connections 
that I have made. May I be loyal. Teach me to remember 
the sacredness of the past, as well as the attractiveness of 
the future. 

Sunday, Fourth Week, 1 Cor. 7 :32-40. 

32 But I would have you to be free from cares. He 
that is unmarried is careful for the things of the Lord, 
how he may please the Lord: 33 but he that is married 
is careful for the things of the world, how he may please 
his wife, 34 and is divided. So also the woman that is 
unmarried and the virgin is careful for the things of the 
Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: 
but she that is married is careful for the things of the 
world, how she may please her husband. 35 And this I 
say for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon 
you, but for that which is seemly, and that ye may at- 
tend upon the Lord without distraction. 36 But if any 
man thinketh that he behaveth himself unseemly toward 
his virgin daughter,, if she be past the flower of her age, 
and if need so requireth, let him do what he will; he sin- 
neth not; let them marry. 37 But he that standeth sted- 
fast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power as 
touching his own will, and hath determined this in his 
own heart, to keep his own virgin daughter, shall do well. 
38 So then both he that giveth his own virgin daughter 
in marriage doeth well; and he that giveth her not in 
marriage, shall do better. 39 A wife is bound for so long 
time as her husband liveth; but if the husband be dead, 
she is free to be married to whom she will; only in the 
Lord. 40 But she is happier if she abide as she is, after 
my judgment: and I think that I also have the Spirit of 
God. 

The apostle says we should choose the form of living 
which helps us most, with least distraction, to serve God. 
We must not be weighted down by the baggage of life so 
that we cannot progress. The objection to the way in 
which some live is not that the way itself is wrong, but 
simply that it completely distracts the mind and heart 
from the main business of life. 

Marriage may bring a new day of spiritual efficiency to 



20 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



some lives, it may be the closing of doors of opportunity 
to others. 

Monday, Fourth Week, 1 Cor. 8:1-8. 

1 Now concerning things sacrificed to idols: We know 
that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but 
love edifieth. 2 If any man thinketh that he knoweth 
anything, he knoweth not yet as he ought to know; 3 
but if any man loveth God, the same is known by him. 
4 Concerning therefore the eating of things sacrificed to 
idols, we know that no idol is anything in the world, and 
that there is no God but one. 5 For though there be that 
are called gods, whether in heaven or on earth; as there 
are gods many, and lords many; 6 yet to us there is one 
God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we unto 
him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all 
things, and we through him. 7 Howbeit there is not in 
all men that knowledge: but some, being used until now 
to the idol, eat as of a thing sacrificed to an idol; and 
their conscience being weak is defiled. 8 But food will not 
commend us to God: neither, if we eat not, are we the 
worse, nor, if we eat, are we the better. 

You cannot settle questions by mere logic. Intellect with- 
out heart makes people conceited. It is only where there 
is kindliness, forbearance, sympathy, that any real good 
is done. The things that we do are not merely by logic, 
but by love. The letter of one's life ma} 1 be all right, but 
the spirit of it quite wrong. There is a correctness of con- 
duct which is sometimes very far from lovely. It is hard, 
cold, severe, exact. But the Bible speaks of the beauty 
of holiness. 

Divine Spirit, may my heart and head work together. 
May they be true yoke-fellows. And thus shall my kindness 
be wise and my wisdom be kind. 

Tuesday, Fourth Week, 1 Cor. 8 :9-13 

9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours 
become a stumblingblock to the weak. 10 For if a man 
see thee who hast knowledge sitting at meat in an idol's 
temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be embold- 
ened to eat things sacrificed to idols? 11 For through 
thy knowledge he that is weak perisheth, the brother for 
whose sake Christ died. 12 And thus, sinning against 
the brethren, and wounding their conscience when it is 



BPISTLBS TO THE CORINTHIANS 



21 



weak, ye sin against Christ. 13 Wherefore, if meat caus- 
eth my brother to stumble, I will eat no flesh for ever- 
more, that I cause not my brother to stumble. 

We may not act as we like, even when the actions are 
not wrong in themselves. Our liberty is modified by our 
obligation to help those who are weaker. The question is 
not, Is the thing wrong in itself ; the question is not even 
whether it is perfectly safe for the one who has to decide 
regarding it; but the Christian question is, other lives. A 
Christian's relation to amusement, to the Sabbath, and to 
other questions, must be determined in the light of obliga- 
tion to young people and to those who are weak. 

Gracious Master, help me not to think merely of my own 
good. May I so love my fellows that I shall long to help 
them. To this end show me the things I should lay aside 
so that I may not discourage my brother. 

Wednesday, Fourth Week, 1 Cor. 9 :l-6. 

1 Am I not free? am I not an apostle? have I not seen 
Jesus our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord? 2 If to 
others I am not an apostle, yet at least I am to you; 
for the seal of my apostleship are ye in the Lord. 3 My 
defence to them that examine me is this. 4 Have we no 
right to eat and to drink? 5 Have we no right to lead 
about a wife that is a believer, even as the rest of the 
apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? 6 
Or I only and Barnabas, have we not a right to forbear 
working? 

It is right enough to assert one's liberty. Yet neverthe- 
less, in no boastful or self-righteous spirit, but as a proof 
to himself of his sincerity, one should be able to point to 
some things — not wrong in themselves — which he has 
quietly surrendered in order to help and encourage others. 

We may deceive ourselves by thinking or saying we are 
willing to do it. But when we actually put the principle into 
practice we see just exactly where we stand. And our life 
receives the tonic from the sacrifice. But, of course, it 
is more than spoiled if we begin to assume the air of su- 
perior persons. 

Thursday, Fourth Week, 1 Cor. 9 :7-18. 
7 What soldier ever serveth at his own charges? who 



22 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



planteth a vineyard, and eateth not the fruit thereof? or 
who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the 
flock? 8 Do I speak these things after the manner of 
men? or saith not the iaw also the same? 9 For it is 
written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the 
ox when he treadeth out the corn. Is it for the oxen that 
God careth? 10 or saith he it assuredly for our sake? Yea, 
for our sake it was written, because he that ploweth 
ought to plow in hope, and he that thresheth, to thresh 
in hope of partaking. 11 If we sowed unto you spiritual 
things, is it a great matter if we shall r ap your carnal 
things? 12 If others partake of this right over you, do not 
we yet more? Nevertheless we did not use this right; 
but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance 
to the gospel of Christ. 13 Know ye not that they that 
minister about sacred things eat of the things of the tem- 
ple, and they that wait upon the altar have their portion 
with the altar? 14 Even so did the Lord ordain that they 
that proclaim the gospel should live of the gospel. 15 But 
I have used none of these things: and I write not these 
things, that it may be so done in my case; for it were good 
for me rather to die, than that any man should make my 
glorying void. 16 For if I preach the gospel, I have 
nothing to glory of; for necessity is laid upon me; for woe 
is unto me, if I preach not the gospel. 17 For if I do this 
of mine own will, I have a reward: but if not of mine 
own will, I have a stewardship intrusted to me. 18 What 
then is my reward? That when I preach the gospel, I 
may make the gospel without charge, so as not to use to 
the full my right in the gospel. 

The worker for Christ must live, and those among 
whom he labors should see to it that he does not lack what 
is neccessary. But the families of some of Christ's faithful 
servants have to pay a heavy price in sacrifice because 
their fathers are preachers, and it is often borne with 
heroic dignity. But that should not be the end of the 
matter. 

There is also a call for workers who are independent of 
financial considerations. There should be many more who 
have private means in the definite service of the Kingdom 
of God. 

Heavenly Father, give me a deeper spirit of sympathy 
for those who labor for Thy Kingdom. May my indifference 
not make their burdens heavier, but may my practical 
interest inspire them to larger and more efficient service. 



EPISTLHS TO THE CORINTHIANS 



23 



Friday, Fourth Week, 1 Cor. 9:19-23. 

19 For though I was free from all men, I brought my- 
self under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. 
20 And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain 
Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, 
not being myself under the law, that I might gain them 
that are under the law; 21 to them that are without 
law, as without law, not being without law to God, 
but under law to Christ, that I might gain them that are 
without law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I 
might gain the weak: I am become all things to all men, 
that I may by all means save some. 23 And I do all 
things for the gospel's sake, that I may be a joint par- 
taker thereof. 

Conciliation is aosolutely necessary in the winning of 
others to Christ. The lack of it in the lives of Christian 
workers may be caused by mere stubbornness, or it may 
arise through being unable to establish a point of contact 
with those who look at things from an entirely different 
point of view. However, conciliation arising out of large 
sympathies, and a broad outlook, is one thing, but the sur- 
render of Christian principle is another. Conciliation is 
the expression of Christian charity. The surrender of 
Christian principle is the betrayal of Christ's cause. One 
must walk very close to the Master to be able to detect 
where conciliation ends and where surrender begins. 

Saturday, Fourth Week, 1 Cor. 9:24-27. 

24 Know ye not that they that run in a race run all, 
but one receiveth the prize? Even so run; that ye may 
attain. 25 And every man that striveth in the games ex- 
erciseth self-control in all things. Now they do it to re- 
ceive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I 
therefore so run, as not uncertainly; so fight I as not 
beating the air: 27 but I buffet my body, and bring it into 
bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached 
to others, I myself should be rejected. 

Life must have a dominating purpose. The Christian 
must visualize the triumphant end of the race of life 
through his imagination. He must "greet the unseen with 
a cheer." And that vision of the climax will help one to 
bring every power of the being into subjection. 

It is only the vision of a great expectation that can enable 



2 4 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



us to bring all the elements of personality into the attitude 
of unified obedience. Consequently our spiritual expecta- 
tion is the measure of our spiritual condition. 

Lord, may I have the vision of victory. Teach me to per- 
sist in believing, even when my faith is assailed by sinister 
voices. And may this attitude compel my whole being to 
render hearty service to my expectation. 

Sunday, Fifth Week, 1 Cor. 10:1-8. 

1 For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant, that 
our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed 
through the sea; 2 and were all baptized unto Moses in 
the cloud and in the sea; 3 and did all eat the same spirit- 
ual food; 4 and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for 
they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them: and the 
rock was Christ. 5 Howbeit with most of them God was 
not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wil- 
derness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the 
intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also 
lusted. 7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; 
as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, 
and rose up to play. 8 Neither let us commit fornication, 
as some of them committed, and fell in one day three 
and twenty thousand. 

There is nothing so plainly before our eyes as the folly 
of desiring things which the Spirit of God does not sanction. 
The bitter story of disillusionment is written in the history 
of nations and individuals. And it is written in our own 
hearts, that only what the Divine Spirit would permit us 
to have is satisfying. There are some tragic steps taken 
in the name of success. The most precious jewels of the 
inner life are sometimes sold for the broken glass of mere 
material abundance. 

Monday, Fifth Week, 1 Cor. 10:9-15. 

9 Neither let us make trial of the Lord, as some of 
them made trial, and perished by the serpents. 10 Neither 
murmur ye, as. some of them murmured, and perished by 
the destroyer. 11 Now these things happened unto them 
by way of example; and they were written for our ad- 
monition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. 12 
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed 
lest he fall. 13 There hath no temptation taken you but 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 25 



such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not 
suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will 
with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye 
may be able to endure it. 

14 Wherefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I 
speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. 

Complaining is not only an injustice to our own souls, 
but it is cruelty toward the spiritual life of others. It 
lays a mortgage upon our neighbor's day. It makes it 
harder for him. Complaint is a quarrel with providence. 
It questions the presence of Christ. It is an immediate 
impression. We do not complain when we recollect, when 
we have time to count our blessings. Hurry is a great 
friend to the spirit of complaining. And hurry, often with 
much self-assurance, walks right into the way of tempta- 
tion. 

Temptation is inevitable. But the heart quieted in mo- 
ments of meditation has been equipped with the armor of 
Christ. 

Tuesday, Fifth Week, 1 Cor. 10:16-22. 

16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a com- 
munion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we 
break, is it not a communion of the body of Christ? 17 
seeing that we, who are many, are one bread, one body: 
for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Behold Israel after 
the flesh: have not they that eat the sacrifices communion 
with the altar? 19 What say I then? that a thing sacri- 
ficed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 
But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, 
they sacrifice to demons, and not to God: and I would 
not that ye should have communion with demons. 21 Ye 
cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons: 
ye cannot partake of the table of the Lord, and of the 
table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to 
jealousy? are we stronger than he? . 

Our worship of Christ in the sacrament must not be 
mixed with the worship of the world. We cannot serve God 
and Mammon. There must be no invasion of the mind, no 
distraction of the soul, in the supreme attitude of adoration. 
And the only way by which we may realize such periods of 
spiritual elevation is by making our Lord the home of our 
thoughts from day to day when we are freed from our 
tasks. Not that we might selfishly enjoy spiritual emotion. 



SECTION II. 



Epistles to the Corinthians 

Wednesday, Fifth Week, 1 Cor. 10:23-33. 

23 All things are lawful; but not all things are expe- 
dient. All things are lawful; but not all things edify. 24 
Let no man seek his own, but each his neighbor's good. 
25 Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, eat, asking no 
question for conscience* sake; 26 for the earth is the 
Lord's, and the fulness thereof. 27 If one of them that 
believe not biddeth you to a feast, and ye are disposed 
to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no ques- 
tion for conscience* sake. 28 But if any man say unto 
you, This hath been offered in sacrifice, eat not, for his 
sake that showed it, and for conscience' sake: 29 con- 
science, I say, not thine own, but the other's; for why is 
my liberty judged by another conscience? 30 If I par- 
take with thankfulness, why am I evil spoken of for 
that for which I give thanks? 31 Whether therefore ye 
eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of 
God. 32 Give no occasion of stumbling, either to Jews, 
or to Greeks, or to the church of God: 33 even as I also 
please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, 
but the profit of the many, that they may be saved. 

A Christian does not sell his rights as a man. The 
fact of his being a Christian does not narrow his human 
liberty. But it is his privilege to subordinate his rights 
in order to help the life of a weaker brother. He may seek 
to bring other lives along with him on the pilgrim way, and 
doing so he must walk more slowly and humbly than if he 
were thinking only of himself. The consideration of 
the spiritual welfare of others calls not only for the giving 
up of some things, right enough in themselves but it 
makes a demand for a meek and lowly spirit in the doing 
of it. It is not the giving >up of things that some people 
find so hard, it is the interference with their liberty. It is 
the severe tax upon pride. There is nothing which cruci- 
fies selfishness so effectively as the exercise of humility. 

36 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 27 



Thursday, Fifth Week, 1 Cor. 11 :1-10. 

1 Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ. 

2 Now I praise you that ye remember me in all things, 
and hold fast the traditions, even as I delivered them to 
you. 3 But I would have you know, that the head of 
every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the 
man; and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man pray- 
ing or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoreth 
his head. 5 But every woman praying or prophesying 
with her head unveiled dishonoreth her head; for it is 
one and the same thing as if she were shaven. 6 For if 
a woman is not veiled, let her also be shorn: but if it is 
a shame to a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be 
veiled. 7 For a man indeed ought not to have his head 
veiled, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: 
but the woman is the glory of the man. 8 or the man 
is not of the woman; but the woman of the man: 9 for 
neither was the man created for the woman; but the 
woman for the man: 10 for this cause ought the woman 
to have a sign of authority on her head, because of the 
angels. 

There was a temptation on the part of Christian women 
in Corinth to violently assert the socializing of the prin- 
ciple of equality, which had no real place in Greek prac- 
tice. The veil, in the Greek world, was the mark of 
womanhood. The recognition of a principle of equality 
does not mean that the principle should be enforced under 
all circumstances. There are lands in which the Christian 
women in our own day must subordinate their rights to the 
customs of the people in order to win them for Christ. To 
assert rights instead of helping the Kingdom of God, 
might give rise to scandalous talk. Tact in life is often 
as mighty a weapon for Christ as principle and requires 
more grace for its exercise. 

Friday, Fifth Week, 1 Cor. 11:11-16. 

11 Nevertheless, neither is the woman without the man, 
nor the man without the woman, in the Lord. 12 For 
as the woman is of the man, so is the man also by the 
woman; but all things are of God. 13 Judge ye in 
yourselves: is it seemly that a woman pray unto God un- 
veiled? 14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, 
if a man have long hair, it is a dishonor to him? 15 But 
if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her 



28 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



hair is given her for a covering. 16 But if any man 
seemeth to be contentious, we have no such custom, 
neither the churches of God. 

Sex independence is not according to the Spirit of 
Christ. Man and woman are counterparts of each other. 
A Christian woman must not try to be masculine, and a 
Christian man must not affect femininity. A manly man 
and a womanly woman meet the necessities of human so- 
ciety. Christianity does not obliterate the facts of a man's 
or woman's nature. It emphasizes manliness and woman- 
liness. And if nature has given man the leadership in the 
enterprise of the world, it is not the leadership of despot- 
ism, but of cooperation, of service, of encouragement. 

Divine Master, help us to be true to the pure instincts 
of our nature. Keep us from striking false notes in our 
common life. May we bring to society the natural con- 
V'ibution of a Christian personality. 

Saturday, Fifth Week, 1 Cor. 11 :17-22. 

17 But in giving you this charge, I praise you not, that 
ye come together not for the better but for the worse. 
18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, 
I hear that divisions exist among you; and I partly be- 
lieve it. 19 For there must be also factions among you, 
that they that are approved may be made manifest among 
you. 20 When therefore ye assemble yourselves to- 
gether, it is not possible to eat the Lord's supper: 21 
for in your eating each one taketh before other his own 
supper; and one is hungry, and another is drunken. 22 
What, have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or 
despise ye the church of God, and put them to shame 
that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise 
you? In this I praise you not. 

The Lord's supper had been celebrated after a common 
meal to which each brought his own food. Some ate too 
much, some may have had too little. There was also an 
excess of drinking. The whole atmosphere was wrong. 
Food should not be the prelude of the Lord's supper. It 
should be prayer, and if fasting would aid in a deeper 
spiritual realization of our adorable Redeemer, then let 
us not be afraid of it. Of course, there is the danger of 
Being tempted to think there is some virtue in the mere act, 
and there is the further danger of physical fatigue in view 
of the work of the next day. 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 



29 



Sunday, Sixth Week, 1 Cor. 11 :23-34. 

23 For I received o£ the Lord that which also I de- 
livered unto you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in 
which he was betrayed took bread; 24 and when lie had 
given thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body, 
which is for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 
In like manner also the cup, after supper, saying, This 
cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as often 
as ye drink it, in rememberance of me. 26 For as often 
as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the 
Lord's death till he come. 27 Wherefore whosoever 
shall eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord in an 
unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the 
blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man prove himself, and 
so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. 

29 For he that eateth and drinketh, eateth and drinketh 
judgment unto himself, if he discern not the body. 30 
For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and 
not a few sleep. 31 But if we discerned ourselves, we 
should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we 
are chastened of the Lord, that we may not be con- 
demned with the world. 33 Wherefore, my brethren, 
when ye come together to eat, wait one for another. 34 
If any man is hungry, let him eat at heme; that your 
coming together be not unto judgment. And the rest 
will I set in order whensoever I come. 

We must come from the right atmosphere to the Lord's 
table. The atmosphere of eating and drinking, of gossip 
in the dining room at home, with perhaps a glance at the 
Sunday newspaper, is not the appropriate temper in which 
to go to the holy sacrament. It is rather in the spirit of 
true self-examination. And self-examination does not im- 
ply morbid introspection, it means a sympathetic appreci- 
ation of Christ. Do I see beyond the custom, the outward 
form of this holy symbol? Do I discern the manifestation 
of the divine love? Nothing must eclipse the vision of 
Christ. All self-consideration, or self-consciousness is 
weakness. 

Divine Master, I would come to Thy table in the spirit 
of self-forgetting, undistr acted by the sights and scenes 
and memories of the world. It is Thy grace that makes it 
possible for me to come, and it is upon Thy grace I will 
meditate. 



30 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



Monday, Sixth Week, 1 Cor. 12 :1-11. 

1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not 
have you ignorant. 2 Ye know that when ye were Gen- 
tiles ye were led away unto those dumb idols, howso- 
ever ye might be led. 3 Wherefore I make known unto 
you, that no man speaking in the Spirit of God saith, 
Jesus is anathema; and no man can say, Jesus is Lord, 
but in the Holy Spirit. 

4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same 
Spirit. 5 And there are diversities of ministrations, and 
the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of workings, 
but the same God, who worketh all things in all. 7 But 
to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit to 
profit withal. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit 
the word of wisdom; and to another the word of knowl- 
edge, according to the same Spirit: 9 to another faith, 
in the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, in 
the one Spirit; 10 and to another workings of miracles; 
and to another prophecy; and to another discernings of 
spirits: to another divers kinds of tongues; and to another 
the interpretation of tongues: 11 but all these worketh 
the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each one 
severally even as he will. 

We are dependent upon the Holy Spirit for the true ap- 
prehension of the person of the Lord Jesus. Without 
the teaching of the Spirit our view of Christ must be de- 
fective. And it is only through the domination of the 
Spirit in personal character that we can find ourselves, 
and our true place in the harmonious plan of our Lord 
for His servants. 

So long as we are living in disobedience to the Spirit, 
we may be doing some good work, but we are not in ac- 
cord with all the other obedient workers. We are not ful- 
filling our divinely intended function. Doing work is not 
the same as doing the work the Spirit dictates. 

Divine Spirit, help me to cease from trying to bring Thy 
power into my scheme, and enable me to surrender myself 
to Thy purposes. 

Tuesday, Sixth Week, 1 Cor. 12:12-21. 

12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, 
and all the members of the body, being many, are one 
body; so also is Christ. 13 For in one Spirit were we 
all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 31 

whether bond or free; and were all made to drink of one 
Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 

15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I 
am not of the body; it is not therefore not of the body. 

16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, 
I am not of the body; it is not therefore not of the body. 

17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hear- 
ing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smell- 
ing? 18 But now hath God set the members each one 
of them in the body, even as it pleased him. 19 And if 
they were all one member, where were the body? 20 But 
now they are many members, but one body. 21 And the 
eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee: or 
again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 

Our relation of fidelity to Christ brings us into our true 
relation with one another. In seeking to spread the spirit 
of Christian unity our first concern must be to see that we 
ourselves are vitally united to Christ. So that His Spirit 
may conquer our pride, our love of the pre-eminence, our 
patronizing attitudes, our opinionative bearing. The 
primary need in the Church of Christ is a deeper surrender 
to Him who washed the feet of His disciples. He is still 
the leader in the great campaign for the conquest of the 
world. It is only He who can carry the vast plan, as it 
reaches from the elemental need of the individual to the 
universal need. The only way out of confusion in an un- 
dertaking so gigantic is to keep in living contact with Christ. 

Wednesday, Sixth Week, 1 Cor. 12:22-31. 

22 Nay, much rather, those members of the body which 
seem to be more feeble are necessary: 23 and those parts 
of the body, which we think to be less honorable, upon 
these we bestow more abundant honor; and our un- 
comely parts have more abundant comeliness; 24 whereas 
our comely parts have no need: but God tempered the 
body together, giving more abundant honor to that part 
which lacked; 25 that there should be no schism in the 
body; but that the members should have the same care 
one for another.. 26 And whether one member suffereth, 
all the members suffer with it; or one member is hon- 
ored, all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now ye are 
the body of Christ, and severally members thereof. 28 
And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, sec- 
ondly prophets, thirdly teachers, then miracles, then gifts 
of healings, helps, governments, divers kinds of tongues. 



32 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? 
are all workers of miracles? 30 have all gifts of heal- 
ings? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? 31 
But desire earnestly the greater gifts. And moreover, a 
most excellent way show I unto you. 

There will be no contempt of obscure workers, of small 
causes, when we drink deeply of the Spirit of Christ 
There will be no worship of mere human names and no 
false emphasis upon talent. When the Spirit of Christ 
has a firm grasp of us all we shall see the reversal of our 
human judgments of men and places. We shall see every 
consecrated life fulfilling his important function. The 
mastery of Christ in character levels some up and levels 
some down. Then we are not great and small, we are 
simply faithful members of the body of Christ. 

Divine Master, I would find Thy place for me, and I 
would rejoice in that place. I would be content with doing 
my zvork faithfully in Thy sight in the power of the Spirit. 

Thursday, Sixth Week, 1 Cor. 13:1-3. 

1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but 
have not love, I am become sounding brass, or a clang- 
ing cymbal. 2 And if I have the gift of prophecy, and 
know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all 
faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I 
am nothingc 3 And if I bestow all my goods to feed 
the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have 
not love, it profiteth me nothing. 

Have we given love the supreme place in our service 
of Christ? Have we put the emphasis upon love or upon 
organization, learning, work? According to the apostle, 
it is possible to serve the poor, even to give away our 
means to an extraordinary extent, for our ability, without 
exercising a great love. And unless love goes out from 
our hearts there is no enrichment of our character as a 
result. It is only those acts which express love that have 
a reflex action for good upon our own lives. Actions 
without love may greatly benefit others, but they do not 
react beneficially upon ourselves. It is a dreadful thing 
to deteriorate in our inner life, doing useful things, while 
they are not done by a pure lo\e, But it is a glorious thing 
to grow better, to deepen personality, by doing things in 
the spirit of love. 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 33 

Heavenly Father, let me not be content merely to be busy. 
For I am conscious that it is possible for me to work hard, 
and yet not to grow Christ-like. Save me from that industry 
that profiteth my soul nothing. May love be so dominant in 
my heart that, whatever service I render, it shall react in the 
deepening and inspiring of my own life. 

Friday, Sixth Week, 1 Cor. 13 :4-7. 

4 Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not^ 
love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up; 5 doth not be- 
have itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not pro- 
voked, taketh not account of evil; 6 rejoiceth not in un- 
righteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth; 7 beareth all 
things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth 
all things. 

When we measure the spirit in which our work is done 
by the love test we discover how far short our work often 
comes of the pure motive. We are not always long-suffer- 
ing in our work. Envy is not always absent. We are not 
always modest when we speak of it. And even if we are 
silent, we may still be conceited over what we are doing. 

If we were to think over the spirit of our relationships 
with others in the home, in business, in the Church, in 
society, in the light of the characteristics of love men- 
tioned in these four verses, it would greatly help us to see 
where we stand spiritually. It would be a profitable ex- 
ercise once a week. And I do not think such would neces- 
sarily be a morbid introspective act. We become morbid 
by looking within, but this meditation would lead us in 
the opposite direction. It is by beholding the glory of the 
Lord we are changed, 

Saturday, Sixth Week, 1 Cor. 13 :8-13. 

8 Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, 
they shall be done away; whether there be tongues, they 
shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall be done 
away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; 
10 but when that which is perfect is come, that which is 
in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I 
spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: 
now that I am become a man, I have put away childish 
things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then 
face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know 



34 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



fully even as also I was fully known. 13 But now abideth 
faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is 
love. 

Love is the permanent element in life and human relation- 
ship. Our love is as busy in the unseen world as it is on 
the earth. We do not love those who are in the Unseen 
less, but rather more than ever, and they do not love us 
any less. It is that attitude between souls which is the 
language of eternity. Love is the speech between us and 
those whom we cannot see. "If we could only speak to 
them," we say. But that longing is speech. 

There is at least this one element in human life which 
we may carry with us into the eternal when so much that 
we have counted valuable is dissolved. We can take with 
us all the love we have cultivated in these earthly relations. 

My Lord, help me by Thy Spirit's indwelling to cultivate 
that in my life which shall survive the incident of death. 
May my contact with the world increase the capacity of my 
heart for loving, rather than diminish it. Save me from 
cynicism, from the contraction of my nature, under the 
foolish sense of wordly wisdom. 

Sunday, Seventh Week, 1 Cor. 14:1-11. 

1 Follow after love; yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, 
but rather that ye may prophesy. 2 For he that speaketh 
in a tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God; for 
no man understandeth; but in the spirit he speaketh mys- 
teries. 3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men edi- 
fication, and exhortation, and consolation. 4 He that 
speaketh in a tongue edineth himself; but he that prophe- 
sieth edifieth the church. 5 Now I would have you all 
speak with tongues, but rather that ye should prophesy: 
and greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh 
with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may 
receive edifying. 6 But now, brethren, if I come unto 
you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, unless 
I speak to you either by way of revelation, or of knowl- 
edge, or of prophesying, or of teaching? 7 Even things 
without life, giving a voice, whether pipe or harp, if^ they 
give not a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be 
known what is piped or harped? 

8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain voice, who shall 
prepare himself for war? 9 So also ye, unless ye utter 
by the tongue speech easy to be understood, how shall it 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 35 



be known what is spoken? for ye will be speaking into 
the air. 10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices 
in the world, and no kind is without signification. 11 If 
then I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be 
to him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh 
will be a barbarian unto me. 

The gift of tongues symbolically claimed all races for 
Christ. The gift of prophecy does not merely refer to 
foretelling events. It is the exercise of a prophet's in- 
sight into spiritual realities. St. Paul says the gift of 
prophecy is greater than the gift of tongues. Therefore 
let us be concerned as to whether we have it, or whether 
we may possess it. The gift of prophecy means spiritual 
reality in the Church. There are gifts it may be well to 
have, but none are greater than the possession of prophetic 
power, and passion and courage. Let us not lose greater 
gifts trying to find lesser ones. It is a still poorer bargain 
to sell the jewels of the soul for their imitation in glass. 

Monday, Seventh Week, 1 Cor. 14:12-22. 

12 So also ye, since ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, 
seek that ye may abound unto the edifying of the church. 
13 "Wherefore let him that speaketh in a tongue pray that 
he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit 
prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 What is 
it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with 
the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and 
I will sing with the understanding also. 16 Else if thou 
bless with the spirit, how shall he that filleth the place 
of the unlearned say the Amen at thy giving of thanks, 
seeing he knoweth not what thou sayest? 17 For thou 
verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified. 18 
I thank God, I speak with tongues more than you all: 19 
howbeit in the church I had rather speak five words with 
my understanding, that I might instruct others also, than 
ten thousand words in a tongue. 

20 Brethren, be not children in mind: yet in jmalice be 
ye babes, but in mind be men. 21 In the law it is writ- 
ten, By men of strange tongues and by the lips of 
strangers will I speak unto this people; and not even 
thus will they hear me, saith the Lord. 22 Wherefore 
tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to 
the unbelieving: but prophesying is for a sign, not to the 
unbelieving, but to them that believe. 

Church services have a definite spiritual purpose and that 



§6 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



purpose must be steadily kept in view. They are not an end 
in themselves, they exist for the common worship of God 
and the spiritual uplifting of lives. And every true worship- 
per brings a contribution to this end. And in so doing 
prayer must not only be fervent, but intelligent. It must 
have a clear purpose in view. Saying our prayers in church 
may degenerate into mere superstition It may be spiritual 
childishness. When Christians go to church with a definite 
burden of desire to be uttered in faith there will be generated 
an atmosphere of power in which lives shall be changed. 

Lord-, help me to bring my contribution of reality to the 
service, of the Church. Help me to have a clear vision of 
the need of my community and to utter it in common prayer 
in faith that Thou wilt answer. 

Tuesday, Seventh Week, 1 Cor. 14:23-33. 

23 If therefore the whole church be assembled together 
and all speak with tongues, and there come in men un- 
learned or unbelieving, will they not say that ye are mad? 
24 But if all prophesy, and there come in one unbeliev- 
ing or unlearned, he is reproved by all, he is judged 
by all; 25 the secrets of his heart are made manifest; and 
so he will fall down on his face and worship God, de- 
claring that God is among you indeed. 

26 What is it then, brethren? When ye come together, 
each one hath a psalm, hath a teaching, hath a revela- 
tion, hath a tongue, hath an interpretation. Let all things 
be done unto edifying. 27 If any man speaketh in a 
tongue, let it be by two, or at the most three, and that 
in turn; and let one interpret: 28 but if there be no 
interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let 
him speak to himself, and to God. 29 And let the proph- 
ets speak by two or three, and let the others discern. 
30 But if a revelation be made to another sitting by, let 
the first keep silence. 31 For ye all can prophesy one by 
one, that all may learn, and all may be exhorted; 32 and 
the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets; 
33 for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. 

The individual should not only have an opportunity to 
bring a contribution of prayer to the life of the Church, 
there should be an opportunity for some service in which 
he may exercise his gifts. The Church should provide a 
channel broad enough for the gifts of its members. 

There is not a sufficient sense of responsibilty on the , 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 37 

I part of church members to use their powers for the edi- 
! rication of their fellow members The week night service 
I might be made a spiritual force in the community. There 
I is a supersensitiveness on the part of many that is not 
1 modesty, it is cowardice. If we are really to serve Christ 
there are some things we must do heroically, it matters 
j not what our feelings are. There is no great danger in 
1 our day of disorder arising from the eagerness of individuals 
I to take part. 

! Divine Master, give me the spirit of self-forgetfulness 
j in my service in the church. May I not be concerned as 
\ to what others may think of my efforts, when they are 

sincere, and prompted by Thy Spirit. May I think more of 

helping others than of my own feelings. 

Wednesday, Seventh Week, 1 Cor. 14:34-40. 

As in all the churches of the saints, 34 let the women 
keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto 
them to speak; but let them be in subjection, as also saith 
the law. 35 And if they would learn anything, let them 
ask their own husbands at home: for it is shameful for a 
woman to speak in the church. 36 What? was it from 
you that the word of God went forth? or came it unto 
you alone? 

37 If any man thinketh himself to be a prophet, or 
spiritual, let him take knowledge of the things which I 
write unto you, that they are the commandment of the 
Lord. 38 But if any man is ignorant, let him be ignorant. 

39 Wherefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to proph- 
esy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. 40 But let 
all things be done decently and in order. 

St. Paul was dealing w r ith conditions in Greek society, 
conditions which must be recognized still in many parts of 
the world. But some Christian women take refuge in 
these words of the apostle as a hiding place from obliga- 
tions and privilege, and consequently great talents are 
sometimes unused, tied up in the napkin of timidity. Some 
of the great utterances of a past generation were made by 
women. The Spirit of God never used a willing instrument 
more powerfully in the igth century in England than the 
holy, womanly, queenly personality of Catherine Booth. 

Thursday, Seventh WeeV, 1 Cor. 15:1-8. 

1 Now I make known unto you, brethren, the gospel 
which I preached unto you, which also ye received, 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



wherein also ye stand, 2 by which also ye are saved, if 
ye hold fast the word which I preached unto you, except 
ye believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of 
all that which also I received: that Christ died for our 
sins according to the scriptures; 4 and that he was buried; 
and that he hath been raised on the third day accord- 
ing to the scriptures; 5 and that he appeared to Cephas; 
then to the twelve; 6 then he appeared to above five hun- 
dred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain 
until now, but some are fallen asleep; 7 then he ap- 
peared to James; then to all the apostles; 8 and last 
of all, as to the child untimely born, he appeared to me 
also. 

When it is remembered that this Epistle is accepted as 
genuine by the severest critics, and that it was written 
within the lifetime of many who were witnesses, and by 
St. Paul who formerly ridiculed the idea of resurrection, 
but who obtained his information first hand from St. Peter 
who actually saw the risen Lord, we are dealing with 
proofs which no thinking man can throw down lightly. 
And when you add to that the great fact of the changed 
lives of the disciples, their deathless enthusiasm after their 
complete collapse, and when you consider that the resur- 
rection of Jesus was the soul of their message, you have an 
enormous problem of explanation on your hands if you 
deny it. 

The resurrection not only calls for faith, but historical 
Christianity makes demands for hard, masculine thinking 
on the part of even private Christians. The easy sur- 
render of the historical elements in Christianity may not 
be so much a mark of breadth on the part of some as of 
intellectual cowardice. 

Friday, Seventh Week, 1 Cor. 15:9-11. 

9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet 
to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church 
of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: 
and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not 
found vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: 
yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 
11 Whether then it be I or they, so we preach, and so ye 
believed. 

It was only by the grace of God that St. Paul could 
throw off the influence of the mistakes of his past life. 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 39 



Without the pardoning love of God in Christ he would 
never have been able to rise above mere regret and self- 
accusation for his terrible blunders. But divine grace 
lifted the mortgage and gave him his glorious fresh start, 
out of which rose his new enthusiasms. 

It is through the grace of God alone that every sensi- 
tive spirit, conscious of past failures, is able to forget the 
things which are behind; and that attitude to the past is 
necessary if he is to be and do all that God expects. The 
humble acceptance in personal character of the grace of 
God in Christ is the basis of enthusiasm and achievement 
in spiritual service. 

Divine Master, I thank Thee for the message of the for- 
giving love of God', and that, notwithstanding all my mistakes 
and failures, Thou dost offer me a new opportunity. Teach 
me in the interests of present and future service to forget 
the things which are behind. 

Saturday, Seventh Week, 1 Cor. 15 :12-19. 

12 Now if Christ is preached that he hath been raised 
from the dead, how say some among you that there is 
no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resur- 
rection of the dead, neither hath Christ been raised: 14 
and if Christ hath not been raised, then is our preaching 
vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Yea, and we are found 
false witnesses of God; because we witnessed of God 
that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so 
be that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are 
not raised, neither hath Christ been raised: 17 and if 
Christ hath not been raised, your faith is vain; ye are 
yet in your sins. 18 Then they also that are fallen asleep 
in Christ have perished. 19 If we have only hoped in 
Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable. 

The attitude of scientific minds has greatly changed in 
regard to the whole question of eternal life. Even the 
modern physicist has become an idealist. The eternal na- 
ture of a true life, instead of being ridiculed, is becoming 
more and more a subject for reverent, believing, scientific 
study. The principle of resurrection is not denied in our 
day with the same dogmatism as the same type of mind 
denied it in St. Paul's day. We are living in a day in 
which science is coming powerfully to the aid of Christian 
faith in the matter of belief in the abiding nature of human 
personality. 



40 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



Sunday, Eighth Week, 1 Cor. 15 :20-29. 

20 But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, 
the first fruits of them that are asleep. 21 For since 
by man came death, by man came also the resurrection 
of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ 
shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: 
Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ's, at his 
coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall deliver 
up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall 
have abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 
For he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under 
his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be abolished is 
death. 27 For, He put all things in subjection under his 
feet. But when he saith, All things are put in subjec- 
tion, it is evident that he is excepted who did subject 
all things unto him. 28 And when all things have been 
subjected unto him, then shall the Son also himself be 
subjected to him that did subject all things unto him, 
that God may be all in all. 

29 Else what shall they do that are baptized for the 
dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are 
they baptized for them? 

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the pioneer in the eternal 
world of all those who have His spirit. And He is clothed 
with power on behalf of all those who trust Him. He has 
potentially conquered all spiritual enemies, and it is His 
present work to aid us in turning His potential victory 
into actual spiritual achievement in the lives of His own, 
and in the world. He has, as it were, won the spiritual 
territory for us, and now our Lord's great work is to get 
us to take possession of what He has won. 

Lord, help me to enter into all the spiritual realities 
which Thou hast made accessible to me. Show me the 
doors Thou hast opened that I may possess my spiritual 
inheritance* 

Monday, Eighth Week, 1 Cor. 15:30-34. 

30 Why do we also stand in jeopardy every hour? 31 
I protest by that glorying in you, brethren, which I have 
in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 32 If after the 
manner of men I fought with beasts at Ephesus, what 
doth it profit me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat 
and drink, for to-morrow we die. 33 Be not deceived: 
Evil companionships corrupt good morals. 34 Awake 



BPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 



to soberness righteously, and sin not; for some have no 
knowledge of God: I speak this to move you to shame. 

The resurrection, the eternity of Christian character, is 
a powerful motive to heroic living, while the idea of this 
life ending all leads to carelessness. Loose thinking leads 
to loose living, while sublime ideas of human destiny in- 
spire to courageous conduct. 

Character knows no vacation of self-indulgence in the 
life of cne who is consciously living an eternal existence. 
He dies daily to what is base, and he has a motive strong 
enough to carry him through the sacrifice. 

Lord, may the thought of the sublimity of my destiny 
ever work upon my daily life, enabling me to sacrifice all 
that is beneath the dignity of a child of God, in the spirit 
of radiant faith. 

Tuesday, Eighth Week, 1 Cor. 15:35-45. 

35 But some one will say, How are the dead raised? 
and with what manner of body do they come? 36 Thou 
foolish one, that which thou thyself sowest is not quick- 
ened except it die: 37 and that which thou sowest, thou 
sowest not the body that shall be, but a bare grain, it 
may chance of wheat, or of some other kind; 38 but God 
giveth it a body even as it pleased him, and to each 
seed a body of its own. 39 All flesh is not the same 
flesh: but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of 
beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of 
fishes. 40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies ter- 
restrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the 
glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory 
of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another 
glory of the stars; for one star differeth from another star 
in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. 
It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 
it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown 
in weakness; it is raised in power: 44 it is sown a nat- 
ural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a nat- 
ural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So also 
it is written, The first man Adam became a living soul. 
The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 

The law of sacrifice is the condition of resurrection. 
That is a principle of nature. The sacrifice of the in- 
stincts of the lower issues in the triumph of the higher 
life. Out of the common life there rises an eternal spirit. 



42 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



It is all perfectly natural. We see the illustration of the 
principle in the physical world. And if that principle is at 
work in what is lower, surely it is at work in what is 
higher. There is no violation of nature in this Christian 
hope. The violation of nature is in not having the hope. 

Wednesday, Eighth Week, 1 Cor. 15 :46-53. 

48 Howbeit that is not first which is spiritual, but that 
which is natural; then that which is spiritual. 47 The 
first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is of 
heaven. 48 As is the earthy, such are they also that 
are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also 
that are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image 
of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heav- 
enly. 

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood can- 
not inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption 
inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: 
We all shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last 
trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall 
be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For 
this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mor- 
tal must put on immortality. 

The lower life is the seed plot of the higher life. But 
the higher life must ever be rising out of the lower. There 
must be a continual accentuation of the higher life. There 
must ever be a strengthening of the divine tendency ii^ 
human character. A surrender to the lower life means 
a moving in the opposite direction from that of Chris- 
tian hope. "Corruption doth not inherit incorruption." But 
Christ-like living has at the heart of it a hope of an instan- 
taneous casting avay ot the worn garment of the body, 
revealing the glorious reality of a spiritual body. 

Heavenly Father, I thank Thee for the possibilities of 
my life, as I make M\\ lower nature the ground out of 
which the flower of the eternal life rises into blossom. 
May I be so possessed by Thy Spirit that the higher life 
shall not surrender to the baser life, but that my higher 
nature may draw from my lozver all that can be changed 
into eternal reality. 

Thursday, Eighth Week, 1 Cor. 15:54-58. 

54 But when this corruptible shall have put on incor- 
ruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 43 

then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death 
is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy 
victory? O death, where is thy sting? 56 The sting of 
death is sin; and the power of sin is the law: 57 but 
thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through 
our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Wherefore, my beloved breth- 
ren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the 
work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor 
is not vain in the Lord. 

It will be seen by us, as it has already been made plain 
to the Christ-like who are in the eternal light, that death 
is only an incident in the realization of the victory of the 
divinest in us. Death cannot vanquish a true life. It can 
only add to his triumph. It cannot defeat him, it rather 
opens a door of opportunity wide. Death has been trans- 
formed from being an enemy to becoming a friend. From 
being clothed in darkness, to being garbed in light. 

Divine Master, I thank Thee for the light Thou hast 
shed upon dying. Thou hast transfigured that which I 
looked upon as an enemy. It has become the holy servant 
of my soul as it conducted me into Thy presence. Teach 
me to be unafraid. 

Friday, Eighth Week, 1 Cor. 16:1-7. 

1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I 
gave order to the churches of Galatia, so also do ye. 
2 Upon the first day of the week let each one of you lay 
by him in store, as he may prosper, that no collections 
be made when I come. 3 And when I arrive, whomso- 
ever ye shall approve, them will I send with letters to 
carry your bounty unto Jerusalem: 4 and if it be meet for 
me to go also, they shall go with me. 5 But I will come 
unto you, when I shall have passed through Macedonia; 
for I pass through Macedonia; 6 but with you it may be 
that I shall abide, or even winter, that ye may set me 
forward on my journey whithersoever I go. 7 For I do 
not wish to see you now by the way; for I hope to tarry 
a while with you, if the Lord permit. 

Heavenly considerations are not to make people imprac- 
tical. There is no necessary chasm between the contemplation 
of the life unseen and the contemplation of the collection, 
the consideration of the practical needs of the poor. It 
was because some people forgot the earth in their contem- 
plation of heaven, that others forgot heaven in their 



44 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



contemplation of practical affairs. But the Christian way- 
is to combine them. The inspiration of heavenly hopes 
is for plain, ordinary duties and opportunities, and we 
have the blessed privilege of bringing the heavenly Spirit 
into the earthly task. The man who has a glorious hope 
must not have a close fist. He ought to be ready to give 
systematically to the cause of Christ and the poor. 

Lord, may I not gaze up to heaven so intently as to forget 
the problems in the lives of my fellow men. Forbid that 
my contemplation of the eternal should unfit me for my 
common duties. Thou hast given me these great hopes so 
thai I may give myself more devotedly to my fellows. Save 
me from bringing the contempt of the world upon Thy holy 
cause. * 

Saturday, Eighth Week, 1 Cor. 16:8-11. 

8 But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost; 9 for 
a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there 
are many adversaries. 

10 Now if Timothy come, see that he be with you 
without fear; for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I 
also do: 11 let no man therefore despise him. But set 
him forward on his journey in peace, that he may come 
unto me: for I expect him with the brethren. 

Inclination is not to be the criterion of duty. The point 
of least resistance is not always the highway of life. Our 
real opportunities in life often bristle with difficulties. One 
man sees difficulty, another man sees opportunity. We do 
not really find ourselves until we get into grips with 
difficulty that exhausts, that makes us call out our inner 
reserves, that throws us back upon God in prayer and faith. 
Difficulty is a storehouse of power, and so long as we elude 
it. we are strangers to our deepest selves. 

Lord, help me to see opportunity in all its disguises. May 
I not fear its threatening appearance; it can be only a friend 
if I approach it in Thy companionship. I know nothing can 
hurt me but my ozvn cowardice. 

Sunday, Ninth Week, 1 Cor. 16:12-16. 

12 But as touching Apollos the brother, I besought him 
much to come unto you with the brethren: and it was 
not at all his will to come now; but he will come when 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 45 



he shall have opportunity. 

13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, 
be strong. 14 Let all that ye do be done in love. 

15 Now I beseech you, brethren (ye know the house 
of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that 
they have set themselves to minister unto the saints), 
16 that ye also be in subjection unto such, and to every 
one that helpeth in the work and laboreth. 

Apollos was probably a more eloquent man than St. Paul, 
but the apostle was not jealous of him. He let the holy 
passion for Christ trample down all smallness in his nature. 
And it is only a great passion for a worthy cause that can 
crush pettiness in human character. It is because there is 
no great enthusiasm in some lives that there is such a nest 
of miserable wasps stinging them continually. The little 
slights, the trifling misunderstandings, the mean jealousies 
and envy, thrive because there is no great, absorbing purpose 
engaging and taxing faculties. 

Divine Master, may the vision of Thy work and the en- 
thusiasm, of my soul in it deliver me from all the petty 
trifles which would harass me if I were idle enough to 
imagine foolishness. 

Monday, Ninth Week, 1 Cor. 16:17-24. 

17 And I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and For- 
tunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your 
part they supplied. 18 For they refreshed my spirit and 
yours: acknowledge ye therefore them that are such. 

19 The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Prisca 
salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in 
their house. 20 All the brethren salute you. Salute one 
another with a holy kiss. 

21 The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand, 22 
If any man loveth not the Lord, let him be anathema. 
Marana tha. 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be 
with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. 
Amen. 

If we cannot do great work ourselves, what a glorfous 
privilege it is to cheer those who are doing it. We do not 
know much about Stephanus and Fortunatus and Achaicus, 
but they refreshed the spirit of St. Paul. Who knows 
what those men by so doing achieved indirectly? It may 
not be showy service, but it is substantial. And it is only 



46 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



the life that is true that can be humble enough, and 
gracious enough to do it. 

There are prominent workers in every department of effort 
who need cheer. We sometimes think they are too conspicu- 
uos to need any, and yet it may be from that very fact 
they need it more. How much inspiration may prevent, how 
much it may achieve ! 

Divine Spirit, may I be so continually under Thy guid- 
ance that I may be able to inspire some who are toiling in 
the conspicuous places. Teach me how I may help them 
and thus do great service in the unseen world. ■ 

Tuesday, Ninth Week, II Cor. 1 :l-7. 

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of 
God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God 
which is at Corinth, with all the saints that are in the 
whole of Achaia: 2 Grace to you and peace from God 
our Father and the Lord jesus Christ. 

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; 4 
who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be 
able to comfort them that are in any affliction, through 
the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of 
God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound unto us, 
even so our comfort also aboundeth through Christ. 6 
But whether we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and 
salvation; or whether we are comforted, it is for your 
comfort, which worketh in the patient enduring of the 
same sufferings which we also suffer: 7 and our hope for 
you is stedfast; knowing that, as ye are partakers of the 
sufferings, so also are ye of the comfort. 

Trial endured as a Christian makes one a minister of 
comfort. Every life made better by the difficulties and 
pain encountered in the earthly lot generates an influence 
which is a most powerful healing touch upon other tried 
souls. Just as boiling water throws off the powerful vapor 
we call steam, so a life comforted in trouble by God 
throws off a comforting influence upon others. There is 
no comforter of broken hearts like the one w T ho himself 
has been comforted of God; such are the true dispensers 
of the balm of Gilead. And it is worth while enduring in 
a Christian way were it for no other reason than that one 
aspired to pass on the healing touch. 

Lord, may I so live in fellowship with Thee when the 



BPISTLBS TO THE CORINTHIANS 



47 



storms in my life are high, that I shall have comfort for 
the comfortless, and cheer for the cheerless, and light for 
those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death. 

Wednesday, Ninth Week, II Cor. 1 :8-15. 

8 For we would not have you ignorant, brethren, con- 
cerning our affliction which befell us in Asia, that we 
were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, inso- 
much that we despaired even of life: 9 yea, we our- 
selves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, 
that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who 
raiseth the dead: 10 who delivered us out of so great a 
death, and will deliver: on whom we have set our hope 
that he will also still deliver us; 11 ye also helping to- 
gether on our behalf by your supplication; that, for the 
gift bestowed upon us by means of many, thanks may be 
given by many persons on our behalf. 

12 For our glorying is this, the testimony of our con- 
science, that in holiness and sincerity of God, not in 
fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God. we behaved our- 
selves in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward. 
13 For we write no other things unto you, than what ye 
read or even acknowledge, and I hope ye will acknowl- 
edge unto the end: 14 as also ye did acknowledge us in 
part, that we are your glorying, even as ye also are ours, 
in the day of our Lord Jesus. 

15 And in this confidence I was minded to come first 
unto you, that ye might have a second benefit. 

It is well to let those who are really interested in us 
know of our trials as well as our triumphs, not in the spirit 
of depressing complaint but in the spirit of true friendship 
and Christian faith. Some people do not let their friends 
get really near them because they never give them an op- 
portunity to sympathize with them, and some children 
are so shielded from the sorrowful facts of life that they 
are selfish, and have no development of heartfelt sympathy. 
Children are not to be burdened before their time with 
the trials of life. But it is also true that many children 
would be very much less self-centered and they would 
have kinder hearts when they grow up, if they had re- 
ceived some opportunities for the expansion of their sym- 
pathy and fewer opportunities for the expansion of their 
selfishness. The children are not to be blamed. 



4B 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



Thursday, Ninth Week, II Cor. 1:16-24. 

16 And by you to pass into Macedonia, and again from 
Macedonia to come unto you, and of you to be set 
forward on my journey unto Judaea. 17 When I therefore 
was thus minded, did I show fickleness? or the things that 
I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with 
me there should be yea yea and the nay nay? 18 But 
as God is faithful, our word toward you is not yea 
and nay. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was 
preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and 
Timothy, was not yea and nay, but in him is yea. 20 
For how many soever be the promises of God, in him 
is the yea: wherefore also through him is the Amen, 
unto the glory of God through us. 21 Now he that 
establisheth us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is 
God; 22 who also sealed us, and gave us the earnest of 
the Spirit in our hearts. 

23 But I call God for a witness upon my soul, that to 
spare you I forbare to come unto Corinth. 24 Not that 
we have lordship over your faith, but are helpers of your 
joy: for in faith ye stand fast. 

We do not need to ask the Holy Spirit to come into 
our lives, He has come already. His presence is the great- 
est fact in our lives. There are other things true of us, 
painfully true, but they are all overshadowed by the glo- 
rious reality of the Spirit's indwelling. And we are con- 
scious of His presence by faith in the promises of God, 
We are conscious of His presence by exalted feeling some- 
times, but that does not abide. Trust is the abiding means 
by which we rest in the assurance that we are the temple 
of the Holy Ghost. And how much stronger our lives 
would be if we linked our thought-life to that great fact, 
rather than joining our thought to our sense of physical 
weakness and weariness and our changing moods. Spirit 
consciousness is a far more Christian habit of mind than 
body consciousness. 

Divine Spirit, whor dwellest within my life, help me to 
think of Thy presence as an abiding reality. Thou dost 
not come and go zvith my feelings. May the habit of my 
mind find its home in Thee rather than in the fickle, 
changeful feelings and moods of my physical life. Thus 
would I live in unbroken union with Thy power. 



SECTION III. 



Epistles to the Corinthians 

Friday, Ninth Week, II Cor. 2:1-8. 

1 But I determined this for myself, that I would not 
come again to you with sorrow. 2 For if I make you 
sorry, who then is he that maketh me glad but he that is 
made sorry by me? 3 And I wrote this very thing, lest, 
when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom 
I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my 
joy is the joy of you all. 4 For out of much affliction 
and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; 
not that ye should be made sorry, but that ye might know 
the love which I have more abundantly unto you. 

5 But if any hath caused sorrow, he hath caused sor- 
row, not to me, but in part (that I press not too heavily) 
to you all. 6 Sufficient to such a one is this punishment 
which was inflicted by the many; 7 so that contrariwise 
ye should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by 
any means such a one should be swallowed up with his 
over-much sorrow. 8 Wherefore I beseech you to con- 
firm your love toward him. 

We owe it to others to be at our best. We may injure 
those with whom we are associated if we come to them 
with a depressing atmosphere which may have serious 
enough reasons behind it. It may be difficult to carry an 
inspiring, joyous attitude out into the worlds but it is 
part of the heroic program of a Christian's life. 

It is possible in the attempt to sympathize with the woes 
of others to surrender too much to their depressed mood. 
We sometimes think we show our sympathy more by giving 
ourselves up to their sad bearing, instead of keeping cheer- 
ful ourselves and endeavoring to inspire cheerfulness in those 
who are downcast. It is a question whether we are more 
anxious to impress the sorrowful with our sympathy, or 
whether we are keen upon helping them. Of course there 
are supreme occasions when we instinctively weep with 
those who weep. 
49 



50 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



Heavenly Father: May I be so strengthened in prayer and 
in the study of Thy Word, that I shall be able to come before 
the world with the bearing of the victorious. And may I 
not surrender to the mere mood of those with whom I would 
sympathize. Strengthen me rather, by cheerfulness and hope- 
fulness, to inspire them. 

Saturday, Ninth Week, II Cor. 2 :9-13. 

9 For to this end also did I write, that I might know 
the proof of you, whether ye are obedient in all things. 

10 But to whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also: for 
what I also have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, 
for your sakes have I forgiven it in the presence of Christ; 

11 that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan; 
for we are not ignorant of his devices. 

12 Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ, 
and when a door was opened unto me in the Lord, 13 I 
had no relief for my spirit, because I found not Titus 
my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went forth 
into Macedonia. 

The forgiveness of a wrong done should be unanimous 
in a family or a church. It is thus the unity of the spirit 
is preserved in the bond of peace. We must remember 
the peace of a family or of a church as well as the disci- 
pline of an individual. Unmerciful punishment may work 
havoc in the life of one who has done wrong. It may 
drive him beyond recovery. Good men may unconsciously 
play into the hands of the Devil. Christian wisdom, as well 
as Christian charity, teach us that punishment is not an 
end in itself, it is only a means to the end of sound recovery. 
Punishment that does not end in recovery is a failure, and 
we are learning this truth in various directions and not least 
in our penal institutions. 

Sunday, Tenth Week II Cor. 2:14-17. 

14 But thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in 
triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest through us the 
savor of his knowledge in every place. 15 For we are a 
sweet savor of Christ unto God, in them that are saved, 
and in them that perish; 16 to the one a savor from death 
unto death; to the other a savor from life unto life. And 
who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not as 
the many, corrupting the word of God: but as of sincerity, 
but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we in Christ. 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 5* 



It is only those who are deeply tried who can possess 
the spirit of profound thankfulness to God. It is in trial 
that the deeps of life are reached; without it we are tempted 
to live on the surface, the elemental man is unmoved. But 
the spirit of thankfulness in tried souls is evidence to the 
world of the triumph of God in human life. Such people 
exhibit the victory of God where the world sees only defeat. 
They suggest the great underlying spiritual reality which 
undergirds the superficial appearances of life, and that is 
the supreme evidence of the unseen world which Christian 
lives can show forth to the unbelieving. 

Divine Master, may I so live in fellowship with Thee that 
whatever may come into my life shall reveal the abiding tri- 
umph of Thy will and power. Help me to show to the world 
that Thy glorious purpose is prevailing in and through me 
amid all the variety of my experiences. 

Monday, Tenth Week, II Cor. 3:1-6. 

1 Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? or need 
we as do some, epistles of commendation to you or from 
you? 2 Ye are our epistle, written in our hearts, known 
and read of all men; 3 being made manifest that ye are an 
epistle o£ Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, 
but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of 
stone, but in tables that are hearts of flesh. 4 And such 
confidence have we through Christ to God- ward: 5 not 
that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything 
as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God; 6 who 
also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant; 
not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, 
but the spirit giveth life. 

The highest commendation of a Christian worker is his 
influence in producing the Spirit of Christ in other lives. 
That is the Christian's highest privilege, as it is the seal 
of his spiritual power. Spiritual influence is the test of 
spirituality, and when that influence changes lives, who do 
not go back, but survive amid trial and temptation so that 
the world is able to read the wonderful message of their 
transformed characters, then, indeed, it is the power of God 
that has wrought the change. 

Our problem is to so abide under the spell of the Spirit's 
power that our influence upon others shall not be merely 
a passing impression, but an abiding, spiritual reality, surviv- 
ing the tests of trial and time. 



S 2 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



Tuesday, Tenth Week, II Cor. 3:7-11. 

7 But if the ministration of death, written, and engraven 
on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel 
could not look stedfastiy upon the face of Moses for the 
glory of his face; which glory was passing away: 8 how 
shall not rather the ministration of the spirit be with 
glory? 9 For, if the ministration of condemnation hath 
glory, much rather doth the ministration of righteousness 
exceed in glory. 10 For verily that which hath been made 
glorious hath not been made glorious in this respect, by 
reason of the glory that surpasseth. 11 For if that which 
passeth away was with glory, much more that which re- 
maineth is in glory. 

The glory of the gospel eclipses the power of the law. 
The law revealed moral insufficiency and unworthiness. The 
gospel is a gift of forgiveness and moral power. The one 
mortgaged life, the other endows it. The law was a reve- 
lation of condemnation, the Christian gospel is the message 
of redemption. Which are we living under? Is our 
religion an endowment or a mortgage upon our days? Does 
it carry us or must we carry it? Christ has not come to 
add one more heavy burden to lives weighed down, but 
rather to capitalize character in order to meet fully all the 
claims of life 0 

Wednesday, Tenth Week, II Cor. 3 :12-18. 

12 Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness 
of speech, 13 and are not as Moses, who put a veil upon 
his face that the children of Israel should not look sted- 
fastiy on the end of that which was passing away: 14 but 
their minds were hardened: for until this very day at the 
reading of the old covenant the same veil remaineth, it 
not being revealed to them that it is done away in Christ. 
15 But unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil 
lieth upon their heart. 16 But whensoever it shall turn 
to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is 
the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is 
liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as 
in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into 
the same image from glory to glory, even as from the 
Lord the Spirit. 

The supreme attitude of Christian life is to behold the 
glory of God revealed in Jesus Christ. It is in this at- 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 



53 



titude of self-escape, self-forgetfulness, in the contemplation 
of Christ that our richest blessings are received, And having 
been received in the attitude of worship, the glory of Christ 
is reflected to the world. The two-fold aspect, beholding 
and reflecting, are the counterparts of each other. There 
can be no true beholding of Christ without reflecting His 
Spirit, and there can be no real reflecting of His Spirit 
without beholding Him. But this worshipful contemplation 
of Christ calls for some margin of time, undisturbed by haste 
or the invasion of the world. 

Divine Master, I would in the quiet of this morning medi- 
tate upon the glory of Thy holiness, Thy love, Thy condescen- 
sion. May the vision make such impressions upon me that 
some others may catch glimpses of Thy presence through me. 
But may I be unconscious of the reflection, may I be so cap- 
tured by Thy glory, that there shall be no place for self -con- 
sciousness, for spiritual pride. 

Thursday, Tenth Week, II Cor. 4:1-7. 

1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, even as we 
obtained mercy, we faint not: 2 but we have renounced 
the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor 
handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the mani- 
festation of the truth commending ourselves to every 
man's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our 
gospel is veiled, it is veiled in them that perish: 4 in 
whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of 
the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory 
of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn 
upon them. 5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ 
Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' 
sake. 6 Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out 
of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light 
of knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus 
Christ. 

7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the 
exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not 
from ourselves. 

When we are conscious that there is nothing between our 
souls and God, having received His forgiveness, and when 
we have no subtle, sinister motives in our lives, then we 
are courageous, "we faint not." It is this condition of life, 
of being at one with God, and at one, through perfect 
sincerity, with ourselves, that we become the channels 



54 PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 

of the grace and power of God to others. And it is 
marvelous how God is willing to use a life of ordinary 
ability that is content to be a self-effacing channel. It is 
self which is the only real non-conductor of spiritual power. 
Self is a far greater obstacle to the effectiveness of God's 
power in us, than lack of great ability. 

Friday, Tenth Week, II Cor. 4:8-14. 

8 We are pressed on every side, yet not straitened; 
perplexed, yet not unto despair; 9 pursued yet not for- 
saken; smitten down, yet not destroyed; 10 always bear- 
ing about in the body, the dying of Jesus, that the life 
also of Jesus may be manifested in our body. 11 For we 
who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, 
that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our 
mortal flesh. 12 So then death worketh in us, but life in 
you. 13 But having the same spirit of faith, according 
to that which is written, I believed, and therefore did I 
speak; we also believe, and therefore also we speak; 14 
knowing that he that raised up the Lord Jesus shall 
raise up us also with Jesus, and shall present us with 
you. 

There is a process of dying and living continually at 
work in a Christian's character. There is a dying to self- 
will, to mere creature impulses, a quiet acceptance of the 
painful facts of life. But it is not all resignation, it is not all 
negative ; out of the process of dying there arises a posi- 
tive, radiant, energetic, forceful life. And every obedient 
soul reveals this two-fold principle. We see in such the 
pathos of humble submission and at the same time the beauty 
and power of resurrection life. It is this mixture of a dying 
life and a triumphant life, this mixture of pathos and power, 
which invests Christian character with elements of sublimity. 

Divine Master, I 7vould die with Thee day by day as I 
accept the facts of life in quiet patience, but I would also live 
with Thee Thy resurrection life of glad and strong achieve- 
ment. May Thy death 'and life be made manifest in me. 

Saturday, Tenth Week, II Cor. 4:15-18. 

15 For all things are for your sakes, that the grace, 
being multiplied through the many, may cause the thanks- 
giving to abound unto the glory of God. 

16 Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 55 

i 

[ man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by 
j day. 17 For our light affliction, which is for the moment, 
| worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal 

weight of glory; 18 while we look not at the things 
! which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for 

the things which are seen are temporal; but the things 

which are not seen are eternal. 

There are strong motives for faithful endurance, for 
I accepting the severe facts of Hfe with Christ-like patience. 
For one thing, such conduct marvelously helps others — per- 
haps few things help them so much. Besides, through the 
quiet acceptance of daily trial, the inner life gets its op- 
portunity for growth. And it is a wonderful bargain, for 
the momentary endurance of pain or humiliation, to re- 
ceive, as a result, eternal elements into character. But in 
order to endure, the eternal world must be real to us, 
not merely as a distant hope, but as a present environment 
in which our souls live. We endure by seeing the actual 
present supremacy of the unseen world over the world of 
eternal things. 

Heavenly Father, help me to realize how many blessed in- 
fluences call me to endure trial heroically. My neighbor's 
good, my soul's growth, the eternal value of character and the 
appeal of the eternal world, all urge me to be true. May Thy 
spirit keep these realities undimmed before my eyes in the 
midst of the battle of life. 

Sunday, Eleventh Week, II Cor. 5:1-9. 

1 For we know that if the earthly house of our taber- 
nacle be dissolved, we have a building from God, a house 
not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens. 2 For 
verily in this we groan, longing to be clothed upon with 
our habitation which is from heaven: 3 if so be that 
being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4 For indeed 
we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened; 
not for that we would be unclothed, but that we would 
be clothed upon, that what is mortal may be swallowed 
up of life. 5 Now he that wrought us for this very 
thing is God, who gave unto us the earnest of the Spirit. 
6 Being therefore always of good courage, and knowing 
that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent 
from the Lord, 7 (for we walk by faith; not by sight); 
8 we are of good courage, I say, and are willing rather 
to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the 



56 



PAUL IN EVERY DAY LIFE 



Lord. 9 Wherefore also we make it our aim, whether at 
home or absent, to be well-pleasing unto him. 

The human body is a temporary dwelling place for the 
immortal soul, a tent in which we live our camp life. But 
there is a spiritual body awaiting the spirit as a permanent, 
an eternal means of expression. And that spiritual body 
will not only be more enduring, but it will be a perfect 
means of soul expression. The body is clumsy, often inert, 
but the spiritual body will respond perfectly to all the desire 
of the spirit. And are we not laborers together with God 
in the making of that spiritual body? Have pure thoughts, 
unselfish deeds, glad trust in the dark, not some real part 
in the making of that body through which our souls shall 
live in the eternal? 

Monday, Eleventh Week, II Cor. 5:10-13. 

10 For we must all be made manifest before the judg- 
ment-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things 
done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether 
it be good or bad. 

11 Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we per- 
suade men, but we are made manifest unto God; and I 
hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. 
12 We are not again commending ourselves unto you, but 
speak as giving you occasion of glorying on our behalf, 
that ye may have wherewith to answer them that glory 
in appearance, and not in heart. 13 For whether we are 
beside ourselves, it is unto God; or whether we are of 
sober mind, it is unto you. 

The judgment seat of Christ in the future can have no 
terrors for us, if we are endeavoring to bring our lives be- 
fore that judgment seat day by day; if we are not time- 
servers, or men-pleasers, but trying to live, with all our 
faults, under the eyes of our Master. We are under the 
awe-inspiring thought of the searching gaze of our Lord 
now. And as we know how solemnizing that thought is, 
how it crashes through the mere appearance of things to 
hidden realities, we feel impelled to urge men to bring 
their lives to the judgment seat of Christ. Because the 4 
judgment of Christ so far transcends the judgments of the 
world, we urge men not to be satisfied with the verdict of 
society upon their character or conduct. There is a tribunal, 
the thought of which should sober every man into an im- 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 57 



mediate longing to press beyond the judgments of the world 
to the verdict of Christ. 

Divine Master, I would bring my life before Thy judgment 
day by day. May I not be content with the decisions of the 
world concerning my character or work. Forbid that I should 
be satisfied merely with the approval of my fellows. Lord, 
Thou alone seest my thoughts and motives; may my peace 
therefore spring from Thy judgment seat. 

Tuesday, Eleventh Week, II Cor. 5 :14-21. 

14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we 
thus judge, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 
and he died for all, that they that live should no longer 
live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes 
died and rose again. 16 Wherefore we henceforth know 
no man after the flesh: even though we have known 
Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more. 
17 Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new crea- 
ture: the old things are passed away; behold, they are 
become new. 18 But all things are of God, who recon- 
ciled us to himself through Christ, and gave unto us the 
ministry of reconciliation; 19 to wit, that God was in 
Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning 
unto them their trespasses, and having committed unto us 
the word of reconciliation. 

20 We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, 
as though God were entreating by us: we beseech you on 
behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to God. 21 Him who 
knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we 
might become the righteousness of God in him. 

We are the objects of a great love. The love of Christ 
to us is the spring from which flows our love to Him, and 
the secret of the renewal of our love to others. It is as 
we dwell, in thought, upon that love which beats down 
upon us as the sun upon the earth, that we have found the 
secret of the renewal of our exhausted sympathies. Let 
us think much of Christ's love to us, and by so doing we 
shall be able to give forth to others what we have received 
from Him. And not only may we translate Christ's love 
to us into kindness to others, but we should have some 
opportunities to tell of the direct love of Christ to others. 

Wednesday, Eleventh Week, II Cor. 6:1-10. 

1 And working together with him we entreat also that 
ye receive not the grace of God in vain 2 (for he saith, 



5« 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



At an acceptable time I hearkened unto thee, 
And in a day of salvation did I succor thee: 
behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the 
day of salvation) : 3 giving no occasion of stumbling in 
anything, that our ministration be not blamed; 4 but in 
everything commending ourselves, as ministers of God, in 
much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 
5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in 
watchings, in fastings; 6 in pureness, in knowledge, in 
long-suffering, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in love un- 
feigned, 7 in the word of truth, in the power of God; 
by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on 
the left, 8 by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good 
report; as deceivers, and yet true; 9 as unknown, and yet 
well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as chastened, 
and not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as 
poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet 
possessing all things. 

The love and forgiveness of God received through faith 
in Christ are not enough. That is only one side of the 
Christian life. It must be worked out into character be- 
fore and among men. Unless there is patience, and purity, 
kindness, and courage, manifested in the difficult places 
of life, we have reason to believe that there is something 
radically wrong. The grace of God is given in order to 
produce the highest type of human character, and if such 
is not produced, then all Christian agencies are more 
or less disparaged by the world. And the world is not to 
be wholly blamed. 

Divine Master, may Thy presence so strengthen and steady 
my life, that I shall not falter in the hard place. But may 
I be equipped for every emergency that men may know that 
I have been with Thee. 

Thursday, Eleventh Week, II Cor. 6 :11-18. 

18 Our mouth is open unto you, O Corinthians, our 
heart is enlarged. 12 Ye are not straitened in us, but ye 
are straitened in your own affections. 13 Now for a 
recompense in like kind (I speak as unto my children), be 
ye also enlarged. 

14 Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what 
fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? or what com- 
munion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord 
hath Christ with Belial? or what portion hath a believer 
with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement hath a tern- 



BP 1ST LBS TO THB CORINTHIANS 



pie of God with idols? for we are a temple of the living 
God; even as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk 
in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my 
people. 17 Wherefore 

Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, 
said the Lord, 

And touch no unclean thing; 

And I will receive you, 
18 And will be to you a Father, 

And ye shall be to me sons and daughters, 
saith the Lord Almighty. 

How much more we might receive of Christian truth 
from the ministers of Christ, if we were only prepared to 
receive what they now give us. Our lack of spiritual ap- 
petite, of spiritual apprehension, keep back the progressive 
message which might be ours. It is not always the re- 
ligious teacher who is to blame because people are not led 
on into the deeper truths of life. It is very often because 
people are not willing to live what they now know, and 
consequently have no relish for what is more advanced. 
They are making serious compromises with the world. We 
are fed with milk because, it may be, we are still in our 
spiritual childhood. How often one finds those who can 
speak with mature wisdom upon various branches of 
knowledge, but they are still going over the spiritual alphabet. 
They have not grown, and alas ! some few glory in their 
spiritual ignorance. 

Friday, Eleventh Week, II Cor. 7:1-7. 

1 Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us 
cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, 
perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 

2 Open your hearts to us; we wronged no man, we 
corrupted no man. 3 I say it not to condemn you; for I 
have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die together 
and live together. 4 Great is my boldness of speech to- 
ward you, great is my glorying on your behalf; I am 
filled with comfort, I overflow with joy in all our af- 
fliction. 

5 For even when v/e were come into Macedonia our 
flesh had no relief, but we were afflicted on every side; 
without were fightings, within were fears. 6 Nevertheless 
he that comforteth the lowly, even God, comforted us by 
the coming of Titus; 7 and not by his coming only, but 
also by the comfort wherewith he was comforted in you, 



6-3 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



while he told us your longing, your mourning, your zeal 
for me; so that I rejoiced yet more. 

The fact that God is willing to forgive and to make 
every penitent man and woman the inheritors of the riches 
of His grace, should be enough to make one willing to 
separate himself from all that is wrong. It is so often 
the thought that God will not receive him that makes a 
man continue in sin. But when it is made clear to him 
that God will receive him graciously, that fact ought to be 
a powerful motive for driving every base thing out of his 
life. When it is clearly understood that the best of life 
need not all be in the past, that still better, holier days 
may yet be realized in the future, if God is given a free 
hand in surrendered life. And when a life has reached 
that decision, he will have a welcome for the messenger 
of Christ. And it is such patient souls who bring joy to 
the heart of the Christian worker. 

Heavenly Father, I thank Thee for Thy boundless love in 
Thy willingness to receive me with all my failures. Because 
Thou art ready to receive me now, I am ready to cast away 
every wrong thing from my life. And I believe that Thou 
dost begin a new day in my soul. 

Saturday, Eleventh Week, II Cor. 7 :8-16. 

8 For though I made you sorry with my epistle, I do 
not regret it: though I did regret it (for I see that that 
epistle made you sorry, though but for a season), 9 I 
now rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye 
were made sorry unto repentance; for ye were made sorry 
after a godly sort, that ye might suffer loss by us in 
nothing. 10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto 
salvation, a repentance which bringeth no regret; but the 
sorrow of the world worketh death. 11 For behold, this 
selfsame thing, that ye were made sorry after a godly 
sort, what earnest care it wrought in you, yea what clear- 
ing of yourselves, yea what indignation yea what fear, 
yea what longing, yea what zeal, yea what avenging! In 
everything ye approved yourselves to be pure in the mat- 
ter. 12 So although I wrote unto you, I wrote not for 
his cause that did the wrong, nor for his cause that suf- 
fered the wrong, but that your earnest care for us might 
be made manifest unto you in the sight of God. 13 There- 
fore we have been comforted: and in our comfort we 
joyed the more exceedingly for the joy of Titus, because 



i 

EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 61 

his spirit hath been refreshed by you all. 14 For if in 
anything I have gloried to him on your behalf, I was 
not put to shame; but as we spake all things to you in 
truth, so our glorying also which I made before Titus 
was found to be truth. 15 And his affection is more 
abundantly toward you, while he remembereth the obedi- 
ence of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received 
him. 16 I rejoice that in everything I am of good cour- 
age concerning you. 

Sorrow has great possibilities in the making or un- 
making of character. Sorrow that has no faith in the love 
and forgiveness of God may lead only to remorse and de- 
spair. The sorrow of Judas was a hopeless sorow, while 
the sorrow of Peter led to a glorious repentance in the 
presence of Christ. It all depends upon how real the bond 
between the soul and Christ is as to the effect of sorrow 
upon a life. Where there is no faith, then cynicism, hard- 
ness, bitterness, hopelessness steal over the soul. But 
where faith is a living reality, there sorrow produces a 
new tenderness, a new humility and gratitude, a new trust 
in and devotion to Christ. 

Sunday, Twelfth Week, II Cor. 8:1-6. 

1 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace 
of God which hath been given in the churches of Mace- 
donia; 2 how that in much proof of affliction the abun- 
dance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto 
the riches of their liberality. 3 For according to their 
power, I bear witness, yea and beyond their power, they 
gave of their own accord, 4 beseeching us with much en- 
treaty in regard of this grace and the fellowship in the 
ministering to the saints: 5 and this, not as we had hoped, 
but first they gave their own selves to the Lord, and to 
us through the will of God. 6 Insomuch that we exhorted 
Titus, that as he had made a beginning before, so he 
would also complete in you this grace also. 

The grace of God in a life should result in financial 
liberality towards good causes. It is customary to expect 
this from those who are rich, but it applies also to those 
who are not rich. We are tempted to think how much 
we would give if we were rich. We are perhaps tempted 
to forget that we have an obligation to give according to 
our ability even when we have very little. To give a very 
little systematically, and according to some principle, is greatly 



62 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



worth while not only for the sake of the good cause, but 
for the sake of our own souls. And the gracious way in 
which it is done adds spiritual significance to such giving. 

Heavenly Father, save me from the criticism of others as 
a substitute for my own liberality. May I be able to arrive 
at some principle by which I shall help Thy cause and may I 
give in the spirit of thanksgiving for Thy goodness to me. 

Monday, Twelfth Week, II Cor. 8:7-15. 

7 But as ye abound in everything, in faith, and utter- 
ance, and knowledge, and in all earnestness, and in your 
love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. 8 I 
speak not by way of commandment, but as proving 
through the earnestness of others the sincerity also of 
your love. 9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he 
became poor, that ye through his poverty might become 
rich. 10 And herein I give my judgment: for this is ex- 
pedient for you, who were the first to make a beginning 
a year ago, not only to do, but also to will. 11 But now 
complete the doing also; that as there was the readiness 
to will, so there may be the completion also out of your 
ability. 12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable 
according as a man hath, not according as he hath not. 
13 For I say not this that others may be eased and ye 
distressed; 14 but by equality: your abundance being a 
supply at this present time for their want, that their 
abundance also may become a supply for your want: that 
there may be equality: 15 as it is written, He that gath- 
ered much had nothing over; and he that gathered little 
had no lack. 

There are some Christian people who forget that^ giv- 
ing should have a place in the expression of Christian 
character alongside of faith and exhortation. They are 
not practical, they emphasize religious emotions and ex- 
periences and ideas, but fail to let these have terminal 
connections with the facts of life. And sometimes ap- 
peals for financial help for good causes are repulsed by them 
as marring their spiritual good time. Such a view of the 
Christian life is unworthy. The Christianity which does not 
patiently and lovingly come down to the actual needs, and 
trials and wrongs of the poor is not the Christianity of 
Jesus. 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 



63 



Tuesday, Twelfth Week, II Cor, 8:16-24. 

16 But thanks be to God, who putteth the same earnest 
care for you into the heart of Titus. 17 For he accepted 
indeed our exhortation; but being himself very earnest, 
he went forth unto you of his own accord. 18 And we 
have sent together with him the brother whose praise in 
the gospel is spread through all the churches; 19 and not 
only so, but who was also appointed by the churches to 
travel with us in the matter of this grace, which is min- 
istered by us to the glory of the Lord, and to show our 
readiness: 20 avoiding this, that any man should blame 
us in the matter of this bounty which is ministered by us: 
21 for we take thought for things honorable, not only in 
the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. 22 
And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have 
many times proved earnest in many things, but how^ much 
more earnest, by reason of the great confidence which he 
hath in you. 23 Whether any inquire about Titus, he is 
my partner and my fellow-worker to youward; or our 
brethren, they are the messengers of the churches, they 
are the glory of Christ. 24 Show ye therefore unto them 
in the face of the churches the proof of your love, and 
of our glorying on your behalf. 

It is not common to have a man eager to accept the task 
of collecting money even for the highest and most glorious 
of causes. But occasionally a man is to be found like Titus, 
who not merely accepts a thankless unpopular position, but 
accepts it with enthusiasm. And it is such people who create 
an atmosphere of hopefulness and expectancy. They do 
not depress the ether workers with pessimistic prophecies 
and ill-natured criticisms. They redeem difficult work from 
drudgery, and they visualize success. They do far more 
than their own work, they hearten and cheer everybody 
associated with the enterprise. 

Divine Master, may I not only work for Thee, but may I do 
it in such a spirit that even the burdens of others shall be 
lighter as they work with me. Teach me to see that I owe 
a cheerful, hopeful spirit to my fellow-workers as well as to 
my work. 

Wednesday, Twelfth Week, II Cor. 9:1-5. 

1 For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is super- 
fluous for me to write to you: 2 for I know your readi- 
ness, of which I glory on your behalf to them of Mace- 



6 4 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



donia, that Achaia hath been prepared for a year past; 
and your zeal hath stirred up very many of them. 3 But 
I have sent the brethren, that our glorying on your be- 
half may not be made void in this respect; that, even as 
I said, ye may be prepared: 4 lest by any means, if there 
come with me any of Macedonia and find you unpre- 
pared, we (that we say not, ye) should be put to shame 
in this confidence. 5 I thought it necessary therefore to 
entreat the brethren, that they would go before unto you, 
and make up beforehand, your aforepromised bounty, that 
the same might be ready as a matter of bounty, and not 
of extortion. 

To have faith in people is to create an atmosphere in 
which they can achieve what is expected of them. That 
is often the secret of getting things done. Somebody's faith 
in others may be the dynamic for their achievement. We 
owe the man a great deal who shows us the possibilities 
of our own talents; the man who tells us what we can do, 
and that we dare not disappoint him; the man who tells 
us that we dare not fall below his prophecy of us. That 
man is not a task-master, he is the highest type of friend. 
Let us listen to him who will not let us rest until we call 
out the highest possibilities of what we possess, and of 
what we are. 

Thursday, Twelfth Week, II Cor. 9:6-15. 

6 But this I say, He that soweth sparingly shall reap 
also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap 
also bountifully. 3 Let each man do according as he 
hath purposed in his heart: not grudgingly, or of neces- 
sity; for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able 
to make all grace abound unto you; that ye, having al- 
ways all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every 
good work: 9 as it is written. 

He hath scattered abroad, he hath given to the poor; 

His righteousness abideth for ever. 
10 And he that supplieth seed to the sower and bread for 
food, shall supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and 
increase the fruits of your righteousness: 11 ye being en- 
riched in everything unto all liberality, which worketh 
through us thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministration 
of this service not only filleth up the measure of the wants 
of the saints, but aboundeth also through many thanks- 
givings unto God; 13 seeing that through the proving of 
you by this ministration they glorify God for the obedi- 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 



65 



ence of your confession unto the gospel of Christ, and 
for the liberality of your contribution unto them and 
unto all; 14 while they themselves also, with supplica- 
tion on your behalf, long after you by reason of the ex- 
ceeding grace of God in you. 15 Thanks be to God for 
his unspeakable gift. 

The niggardly, calculating, coldly shrewd spirit in giv- 
ing money or service, or sympathy, has its reflex influence 
upon all such as give of themselves sparingly. They some- 
times wonder why so little comes back to them of the 
warmth of human sympathy and appreciation. But they 
should not be surprised, they have simply received what 
they gave. If we give of ourselves, or of our means, 
simply because it is expected of us, because society would 
criticise us if we did not do it, then no personal growth 
or blessing comes to us as a result. It is what the heart 
gives that really counts with God. And it is what the heart 
gives that counts in the making of a Christian character. 
When the heart is right then every act becomes sacramental. 

Friday, Twelfth Week, II Cor. 10:1-7. 

1 Now I Paul myself entreat you by the meekness and 
gentleness of Christ, I who in your presence am lowly 
among you, but being absent am of good courage toward 
you: 2 yea, I beseech you, that I may not when present 
show courage with the confidence wherewith I count to 
be bold against some, who count of us as if we walked 
according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, 
we do not war according to the flesh 4 (for the weapons 
of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before 
God to the casting down of strongholds) ; 5 casting down 
imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against 
the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into 
captivity to the obedience of Christ; 6 and being in readi- 
ness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience 
shall be made full. 7 Ye look at the things that are be- 
fore your face. If any man trusteth in himself that he is 
Christ's, let him consider this again with himself, that, 
even as he is Christ's, so also are we. 

When one is treated with contempt, and his work de- 
preciated, meekness and gentleness of bearing is by far 
the most heroic attitude. It requires much more moral 
power to maintain that attitude than the spirit of violent 
resentment. It is quite true, of course, that there are some 



66 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



people who look upon the attitude of gentleness as a 
sign of cowardice, rather than as a supreme revelation 
of courage. And that fact makes gentleness all the more 
courageous, for it not only means self-control, but it is 
also an exhibition of indifference as to what people think. 
The Christian weapon for the conquest of antagonists is 
not the use of carnal wrath and invective, but it is rather 
the surrender of the whole nature to the control of God, 
who does His own mighty work through a composed heart. 
Such a life becomes a conductor of the mighty power of God 
in reaching those who are unreasonable. 

Saturday, Twelfth Week, II Cor. 10:8-18. 

8 For though I should glory somewhat abundantly con- 
cerning our authority (which the Lord gave for building 
you up, and not for casting you down), I shall not be put 
to shame: 9 that I may not seem as if I would terrify you 
by my letters. 10 For, His letters, they say, are weighty 
and strong: but his bodily presence is weak, and his 
speech of no account. 11 Let such a one reckon this, 
that, what we are in word by letters when we are absent, 
such are we also in deed when we are present 12 For 
we are not bold to number or compare ourselves with 
certain of them that commend themselves: but they them- 
selves, measuring themselves by themselves, and com- 
paring themselves with themselves, are without under- 
standing. 13 But we will not glory beyond our measure, 
but according to the measure of the province which God 
apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even unto you. 
14 For we stretch not ourselves overmuch, as though we 
reached not unto you: for we came even as far as unto 
you in the gospel of Christ: 15 not glorifying beyond our 
measure, that is, in other men's labors; but having hope 
that, as your faith groweth, we shall be magnified in 
you according to our province unto further abundance, 
16 so as to preach the gospel even unto the parts beyond 
you, and not to glory in another's province in regard of 
things ready to our hand. 17 But he that glorieth, let 
him glory in the Lord. 18 For not he that commendeth 
himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth. 

Even a great man like St. Paul took time to deal 
graciously with people who, instead of being his helpers 
in most difficult work, as they ought to have been, made 
his work infinitely more difficult and trying. It is an appal- 
ling responsibility which people take when they obstruct the 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 



6; 



progress of good work, and inspire prejudice against good 
men, by idle, foolish, ungracious words. And especially 
when those people ought to be the inspirers of the work, 
which, by their pettiness and thoughtlessness, they are 
seriously hindering. 

Divine Master, help me this day to consecrate my speech to 
the inspiration of good men, and good causes. Forbid that 
they should find their tasks more difficult because of my un- 
bridled tongue. Give me grace to speak always under the 
control of Thy spirit. 

Sunday, Thirteenth Week, II Cor. 11:1-6. 

1 Would that ye could bear with me in a little foolish- 
ness: but indeed ye do bear with me. 2 For I am jealous 
over you with a godly jealousy: for I espoused you to 
one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to 
Christ. 3 But I fea*% lest by any means, as the serpent 
beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be cor- 
rupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward 
Christ. 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, 
whom we did not preach, or if ye receive a different spirit, 
which ye did not receive, or a different gospel, which 
ye did not accept, ye do well to bear with him. 5 For I 
reckon that I am not a whit behind the very chiefest 
apostles. 6 But though^ I be rude in speech, yet am I 
not in knowledge; nay, in every way have we made this 
manifest unto you in all things. 

The privilege of friendship is to speak without fear, to 
feel that the friend will throw away what seems to him 
to be chaff and retain the wheat, that the chaff will not be 
thrown back in the face. Especially when that friendship 
is unselfish, and noble, and inspired by a holy passion 
to help, to enrich Christian character. The highest type 
of friend is one who is concerned not only for our tem- 
poral welfare, but interested with a holy zeal in our spirit- 
ual growth. And we are most fortunate if we have such 
friends, to whom we may speak the deepest things in 
life without being misunderstood. 

Monday, Thirteenth Week, II Cor. 11:7-15, 

7 Or did I commit a sin in abasing myself that ye might 
be exalted, because I preached to you the gospel of God 
for nought? 8 I robbed other churches, taking wages of 



68 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIEE 



them that I might minister unto you; 9 and when I was 
present with you and was in want, I was not a burden on 
any man; for the brethren, when they came from Mace- 
donia, supplied the measure of my want; and in every- 
thing I kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and 
so will I keep myself. 10 As the truth of Christ is in 
me, no man shall stop me of this glorying in the regions 
of Achaia. 11 Wherefore? because I love you not? God 
knoweth. 12 But what I do, that I will do, that I may 
cut off occasion from them that desire an occasion; that 
wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. 13 
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, fash- 
ioning themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no 
marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel 
of light. 15 It is no great thing therefore if his minis- 
ters also fashion themselves as ministers of righteous- 
ness; whose end shall be according to their works. 

Some of the Corinthian Christians seemed to think less 
of St. Paul, they even despised him, because he served 
them humbly and with great self-sacrifice, while they 
were tempted to give much higher reverence to false 
teachers who made no sacrifices. There are always a few 
who cannot discern the spiritual supremacy of self-effacing 
workers, but they are ready to yield homage to mere 
pompous pretension. Many a true-hearted servant of Christ 
has had to endure the pang of having his sacrifice in service 
coldly discounted, while plausible diplomacy was crowned 
with popular approval. 

Teach me, Lord Jesus, through faithful fellowship with 
Thee, to discern the true from the false in life. May I be 
ever ready to cheer the sacrificial worker by having a spirit 
that understands and sympathizes with him. 

Tuesday, Thirteenth Week, II Cor. 11 :16-33. 

16 I say again, let no man think me foolish; but if 
ye do, yet as foolish receive me, that I also may glory 
a little. 17 That which I speak, I speak not after the 
Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of glorying. 
18 Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory 
also. 19 For ye bear with the foolish gladly, being wise 
yourselves. 20 For ye bear with a man, if he bringeth 
you into bondage, if he devoureth you, if he taketh you 
captive, if he exalteth himself, if he smiteth you on the 
face. 21 I speak by way of disparagement, as though we 
had been weak. Yet whereinsoever any is bold (I speak 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 69 



in foolishness), I am bold also. 22 Are they Hebrews? 
so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed 
of Abraham? so am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ? 
(I speak as one beside himself) I more; in labors more 
abundantly, in prisions more abundantly, in stripes above 
measure, in deaths oft. 24 Of the Jews five times received 
I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with 
rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, 
a night and a day have I been in the deep; 26 in journey- 
ings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in 
perils from my countrymen, in perils from the Gentiles, 
in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils 
in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in labor 
and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in 
fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 28 Besides those 
things that are without, there is that which presseth upon 
me daily, anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, 
and I am not weak? who is caused to stumble, and I 
burn not? 30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the 
things that concern my weakness. 31 The God and Father 
of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed for evermore knoweth 
that I lie not. 32 In Damascus the governor under Aretas 
the king guarded the city of the Damascenes in order to 
take me: 33 and through a window was I let down in a 
basket by the wall, and escaped his hands. 

St. Paul was so concerned for the spiritual welfare of 
the Corinthian Church, he was so passionately interested 
in preserving the Christians against the influence of false 
teachers, that he had to show to them the mark of the 
genuine spiritual teacher was sacrifice. And he therefore 
told the story of his own sacrificial life. It was not in 
order to advertise himself. Some of them thought so. 
But he could not keep back his story even although they 
did misunderstand his motive. He was so in earnest for 
their spiritual advancement that he had to appear a fool to 
some of them, as he put them on their guard by contrast- 
ing his mode of life with that of false teachers. Thus he 
was not only willing to make sacrifice, but also willing to 
run the risk of being misunderstood and misrepresented 
in order to save the very people who misunderstood him 
from false teachers. Surely such self-effacement was 
complete! 

Wednesday, Thirteenth Week, II Cor. 12 :l-9. 

1 I must needs glory, though it is not expedient; but I 
will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I 



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PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the 
body, I know not; or whether out of the body, I know 
not; God knoweth), such a one caught up even to the third 
heaven. 3 And I know such a man (whether in the body, 
or apart from the body, I know not; God knoweth), 4 
how that he was caught up into Paradise, and heard un- 
speakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 
5 On behalf of such a one will I glory: but on mine own 
behalf I will not glory, save in my weaknesses. 6 For if 
I should desire to glory, I shall not be foolish; for I shall 
speak the truth: but I forbear, lest any man should account 
of me above that which he seeth me to be, or heareth from 
me. 7 And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the 
revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there 
was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan 
to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch. 8 
Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it 
might depart from me. 9 And he hath said unto me, My 
grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect 
in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory 
in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest 
upon me. 

That man has spiritual authority among men who has 
had deep and definite spiritual experiences which have led 
him into abiding devotion to Christ And the fact of those 
experiences does not imply that he takes an attitude of 
superiority over his fellows. On the contrary, the experi- 
ences emphasize his absolute dependence upon divine grace. 
Every life that has stood face to face with the living Master 
is conscious of his "thorn," but equally conscious of the 
power of Christ. The consequence is that he has a humble 
estimate of himself, a tender sympathy with human frailty, 
and an undying conviction of the sufficiency of our Lord to 
demonstrate His strength through weakness that wholly trusts 
Him. 

Thursday, Thirteenth Week, II Cor. 12:10-13. 

10 Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, 
in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's 
sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. 

11 I am become foolish: ye compelled me; for I ought 
to have been commended of you: for in nothing was I 
behind the very chiefest apostles, though I am nothing. 
12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among 
you in all patience, by signs and wonders and mighty 



BP I ST LBS TO THE CORINTHIANS 71 

works. 18 For what is there wherein ye were made in- 
ferior to the rest of the churches, except it be that I my- 
self was not a burden to you? forgive me this wrong. 

To one who is deeply conscious of the presence of Christ, 
difficulty and trial afford new opportunities of trust, of 
resting only in the divine strength. So much of life is all 
the other way, it is the attempt to do without divine aid. And 
the reason why some have no real sense of the presence 
of the Master is because He has no real opportunity to 
manifest His power in their lives. They try to do every- 
thing themselves. They will not allow themselves to be 
put in circumstances where they are compelled to exercise 
faith. But those to whom Christ is real find opportunities of 
deeper fellowship with Him in the emergencies of life. 

Friday, Thirteenth Week, II Cor. 12 :14-21. 

14 Behold, this is the third time I am ready to come to 
you; and I will not be a burden to you: for I seek not 
yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for 
the parents, but the parents for the children. 15 And I 
will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I 
love you more abundantly am I loved the less? 16 
But be it so, I did not myself burden you; but, being 
crafty, I caught you with guile. 17 Did I take advantage 
of you by any one of them whom I have sent unto you? 
18 I exhorted Titus, and I sent the brother with him. 
Did Titus take any advantage of you? walked we not in 
the same spirit? walked we not in the same steps? 

19 Ye think all this time that we are excusing ourselves 
unto you. In the sight of God speak we in Christ. But 
all things, beloved, are for your edifying. 20 For I fear, 
lest by any means, when I come, I should find you not 
such as I would, and should myself be found of you such 
as yet would not; lest by any means there should be strife, 
jealousy, wraths, factions, backbitings, whisperings, swell- 
ings, tumults; 21 lest again when I come my God should 
humble me before you, and I should mourn for many of 
them that have sinned heretofore, and repented not of the 
uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they 
committed. 

The life that has no selfish ends to serve, that is simply 
seeking to be of the highest possible service to others, can 
act and speak with perfect fearlessness. It is when one 
has some personal end to serve, when selfish ambition lurks 



72 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



in the soul, that studied reserves, and timid attitudes are 
manifested. But when there is no motive but to serve, then 
there is frankness and a glorious freedom from concern as 
to one's own influence. Our influence is in God's hands, 
but clean motive and faithful service are in our hands. 

Heavenly Father, may I be so completely surrendered to Thy 
will and to the service of men that I shall feel no unworthy 
reserves upon my life or words. May I be perfectly natural 
and open, and candid, believing that the consequences of such 
attitudes are in Thy keeping. 

Saturday, Thirteenth Week, II Cor. 13:1-6. 

1 This is the third time I am coming to you. At the 
mouth of two witnesses or three shall every word be es- 
tablished. 2 I have said beforehand, and I do say before- 
hand, as when I was present the second time, so now, 
being absent, to them, that have sinned heretofore, and 
to all the rest, that, if I come again, I will not spare; 3 
seeing that ye seek a proof of Christ that speaketh in me; 
who to you-ward is not weak, but is powerful in you: 4 
for he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth 
through the power of God. For we also are weak in him, 
but we shall live with him through the power of God to- 
ward you. 5 Try your own selves, whether ye are in the 
faith; prove your own selves. Or know ye not as to your 
own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you? unless indeed 
ye be reprobate. 6 But I hope that ye shall know that we 
are not reprobate. 

Love is not soft and indulgent. True love must always 
be ethical. A mere good-natured, unprincipled, indulgence 
is immoral. And we need to remember this in our family life, 
as well as in our wider relationships. There is a maudlin 
love sometimes in family life which is only a weak surrender 
to a child's whims, and which has a harvest of rebellion 
and discontent, in an unmanageable youth. Love that is truly 
moral may have to engage in some unpleasant interviews, 
and to shrink from them is not Christian but cowardly. 
The person who insists on all occasions upon saying pleasant 
things may be considered a nice man, but he is not Christ's 
strong servant. 

Sunday, Fourteenth Week, II Cor. 13 :7-14. 

7 Now we pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we 
may appear approved, but that ye may do that which is 



EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS 73 



honorable, though we be as reprobate. 8 For we can do 
nothing against the truth, but for the truth. 9 For we 
rejoice, when we are weak, and ye are strong; this we also 
pray for, even your perfecting. 10 For this cause I write 
these things while absent, that I may not when present 
deal sharply, according to the authority which the Lord 
gave me for building up, and not for casting down. 

11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfected; be com- 
forted; be of the same mind; live in peace: and the God of 
love and peace shall be with you. 12 Salute one another 
with a holy kiss. 

13 All the saints salute you. 

14. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of 
God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with 
you all. 

To be faithful, candid, uncompromising with people, and 
yet at the same time gracious, generous, loving, is the 
attitude revealed in the life of St. Paul. It is not difficult 
to be one or the other, but, in order to be both uncom- 
promising and gracious we must live deeply in the com- 
panionship of our Lord. To live far above the petty and 
childish bearing into which our lives are so often tempted 
to fall, with their mean reserves and ungenerous silences; 
to sacrifice ourselves for the spiritual welfare of others ; 
to be willing to be misunderstood by them, and yet after 
being perfectly frank with them, to continue to earnestly 
pray for them and to commend them tenderly to the grace 
of our Lord Jesus, is the apostolic relation to men. 

Divine Master, save me from the power of temptations 
which would narrow my soul and its sympathies. Keep the 
large vision ever before my eyes and may my heart and mind 
rise generously to the holy task of serving my fellows in Thy 
blessed name. 



SECTION IV. 



Epistle to the Galatians 

Monday, Fourteenth Week, Gal. 1:1-5. 

1 Paul, an apostle (not from men, neither through man, 
but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised 
him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren that are with 
me, unto the churches of Galatia. 3 Grace to you and 
peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 
who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out 
of this present evil world, according to the will of our 
God and Father: 5 to whom be the glory for ever and 
ever. Amen. 

St. Paul's authority was questioned, his doctrine contra- 
dicted. He, therefore, vindicated the authority of both 
his mission and his message. His authority was based 
upon the direct command of Jesus Christ. The apostle 
here shows that Christ is the actual general in the Chris- 
tian warfare; that we ffrid our true place in service as 
we are obedient to Him who has the whole plan of cam- 
paign in His divine mind. St. Paul plainly states that 
Christ has not given over His whole program to any man 
or any combination of men. He deals directly with in- 
dividuals. He puts His obedient servants in their places. 

St. Paul also indicates the heart of His gospel. It has its 
rise in the grace of God. Christ is the historical expression 
of it. His sacrifice is the dynamic of it. The redemption of 
the whole life is the aim of it. And the Father's will is the 
glory of it. 

Tuesday, Fourteenth Week, Gal. 1:6-10. 

6 I marvel that ye are so quickly removing from him 
that called you in the grace of Christ unto a different 
gospel; 7 which is not another gospel: only there are some 
that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 

8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach 



EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS 



75 



unto you any gospel other than that which we preached 
unto you, let him be anathema. 9 As we have said before, 
so say I now again, if any man preacheth unto you any 
gospel other than that which ye received, let him be an- 
athema. 10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or 
of God? or am I striving to please men? if I were still 
pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ. 

St Paul was astonished at the rapid retreat of the Gala- 
tian Christians from their simple trust in the grace of God 
revealed in Christ. That temptation is ever with us, many 
still surrender to it. They become confused, they listen 
to those who shift the place of emphasis in the gospel and 
consequently lose their peace, lose the experience which 
grows out of having peace, and lose the intellectual grip 
of truth from having lost their definite experience of it. 
For we often forget that the loss of intellectual conviction 
may proceed from having first lost spiritual experience, 
and the loss of spiritual experience began in loss of the 
assurance of forgiveness, and the loss of the sense of for- 
giveness arose through losing sight of the grace of God 
manifested in Christ. 

Divine Master, keep my soul close to thy forgiving grace. 
May I never lose my trust m Thy pardoning love. Help me 
by Thy Spirit to be more and more conscious of my need 
for Thy cleansing power. And thus day by day may I be 
renewed to do Thy holy will, forgetting the things which 
are behind. 

Wednesday, Fourteenth Week, Gal. 1:11-17. 

11 For I make known to you, brethren, as touching the 
gospel which was preached by me, that it is not after man. 

12 or neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught 
it, but it came to me through revelation of jesus Christ. 

13 For ye have heard of my manner of life in time past 
in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I per- 
secuted the church of God, and made havoc of it: 14 and I 
advanced in the Jews' religion beyond many of mine own 
age among my countrymen, being more excedingly zeal- 

j ous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when it was 

| the good pleasure of God, who separated me, even from 

| my mother's womb, and called me through his grace, 16 

; to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among 

, the Gentiles; straightway I conferred not with flesh arid 

i blood: 17 neither went I up to Jerusalem to them that 
fi 



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PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



were apostles before me: but I went away into Arabia; 
and again I returned unto Damascus. 

The gospel of Christ is not an intellectual discovery. It 
is a divine revelation. And it is a message only as it is 
first of all an experience. And when it is a definite, heart- 
felt experience of inner renewal, one is not likely to consult 
with men as to what he shall say. 

The Christian soul needs times of silence and solitude 
in order to let the grace of God take possession of the deep 
places of the life. It is just here that Christianity stands 
out distinctive from everything else in the world. And how 
important it is to let the distinctive, the unique element in 
Christianity conquer the elemental man. For it is the cleans- 
ing, enriching contact of the gospel in the depths of the 
soul which is the foundation of all that is peculiarly Chris- 
tian in human experience. 

Thursday, Fourteenth Week, Gal. 1:18-24. 

18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to 
visit Cephas, and tarried with him fifteen days. 19 But 
other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's 
brother. 20 Now touching the things which I write unto 
you, behold, before God, I lie not. 21 Then I came into 
the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still un- 
known by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in 
Christ: 23 but they only heard say, He that once perse- 
cuted us now preacheth the faith of which he once made 
havoc; 24 and they glorified God in me. 

Fellowship with Christians who know more about Christ 
than we do is an important element in the growth of 
Christian life and thought. It is second in importance 
only to being taught directly by the Spirit. We should 
have both. St. Paul was in Arabia and he was afterwards 
with St. Peter. The need for younger Christians learning 
the personal experience of riper Christians as they have 
lived their lives in fellowship with Christ is hardly recog- 
nized as it should be. Besides, religious gossip is not 
Christian conversation. Few things will help quicken our 
spiritual life more than simple, frank talks, friend with 
friend, about real experiences of the contact with the living 
Master. 



EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS 



77 



Friday, Fourteenth Week, GaL 2:1-4. 

1 Then after the space of fourteen years I went up again 
to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus also with me. 
2 And I went up by revelation; and I laid before them 
the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles but pri- 
vately before them who were of repute, lest by any means 
I should be running or had run, in vain. 3 But not even 
Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to 
be circumcised: 4 and that because of the false brethren 
privily brought in, who came in privily to spy out our 
liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might 
bring us into bondage. 

Because a Christian gets his instructions from Christ 
that does not mean that Christ wishes him to ignore other 
Christians. The same Christ who calls him to independent 
action also leads him to consider others and cooperate with 
others. Independence and cooperation are counterparts of 
each other. And in order to be a true follower of Christ 
both are necessary. It is not enough to be independent, it 
is not enough to cooperate. Breadth is a farce without 
conviction and conviction is contemptible without breadth. 
It is independent conviction, which gives kindly cooperation 
real meaning. 

Saturday, Fourteenth Week, Gal. 2:5-10. 

5 To whom we gave place in the way of subjection, no, 
not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might con- 
tinue with you. 6 But from those who were reputed to 
be somewhat (whatsoever they were, it maketh no mat- 
ter to me: God accepteth not man's person) — they, I say, 
who were of repute imparted nothing to me: 7 but con- 
trariwise, when they saw that I had been intrusted with 
the gospel of the uncircumcision, even as Peter with the 
gospel of the circumcision 8 (for he that wrought for 
Peter unto the apostleship of the circumcision wrought 
for me also unto the Gentiles) ; 9 and when they perceived 
the grace that was given unto me, James and Cephas and 
John they who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me 
and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship, that we should 
go unto the Gentiles, and they unto the circumcision; 10 
only they would that we should remember the poor; which 
very thing I was also zealous to do. 

Surrender to what is false is not charity, it is cowardice. 
It is Christian to surrender in unimportant things, to re- 



78 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



fuse to do that is to be stubborn, is to be a lover of one's 
own way, and that is petty. But to stand firm for prin- 
ciple at all costs is simply Christian manliness, and we 
need it in Christian life and thought. We sometimes 
earn peace and good will at too high a price. There are 
worse things than a good, strong argument so long as 
there is no bitterness in it. Some people are so pliable 
that they lose their mental virility, while some others earn 
the pity of strong men by their fear of standing alone, 
while God writes His signature over the life that is fearlessly 
true to Christ, and that signature is a passport into the 
confidence of discerning men. 

Sunday, Fifteenth Week, Gal. 2:11-15. 

11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I resisted him 
to the face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before 
that certain came from James, he ate with the Gentiles; 
but when they came, he drew back and separated himself, 
fearing them that were of the circumcision. 13 And the 
rest of the Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch 
that even Barnabas was carried away with their dissimu- 
lation. 14 But when I saw that they walked not up- 
rightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto 
Cephas before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest as 
do the Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, how compellest 
thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? 15 We being 
Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles. 

St. Peter's fear of criticism led him to compromise his 
testimony and that of others. St. Paul rebuked him for 
his action. But the rebuke was administered before 
his face with Christian spirit and that makes all the dif- 
ference. 

It would be an excellent thing for some of us if one or 
two of our friends talked very frankly to us in the right 
spirit about our failings. It is not criticism that is resented, 
it is criticism that has traveled by a circuitous route because 
some one had not courage enough to make it face to face, 
or it is criticism of a mere common scold that is resented, 
the criticism that is cruel and mean. Such injures all con- 
cerned. But Christ-like criticism may bring one of the 
greatest blessings. 

Monday, Fifteenth Week, Gal. 2:16-21. 

16 Yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works 
of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we be- 



EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS 



79 



lieved on Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith 
in Christ, and not by the works of the law: because by 
the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. 17 But 
if, while we sought to be justified in Christ, we our- 
selves also were found sinners, is Christ a minister of 
sin? God forbid. 18 For if I build up again those things 
which I destroyed, I prove myself a transgressor. 19 
For I through the law died unto the law, that I might 
live unto God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; and 
it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me : and 
that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the 
faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave 
himself up for me. 21 I do not make void the grace of 
God: for if righteousness is through the law, then Christ 
died for nought. 

St. Paul knew from bitter experience that he could not 
be justified before God through endeavoring to keep the 
law. And it was that consciousness which made his trust 
in Christ all the more tenacious. This was also the ex- 
perience of Luther, of John Wesley, of Charles Spurgeon, 
and they all reaffirmed St. Paul's words to their times. 
And whatever problems may confront the Christian Church, 
we dare not lose our grasp of the fundamental truth that 
we are justified before God by faith in Christ, for it is 
the foundation of a normal Christian experience. Out of 
it springs the Christian consciousness which is common to 
all who come to an end of the self-life, in their identification 
of themselves with Christ and His cross. 

Divine Saviour, keep me ever trusting in Thee as the secret 
of my peace. May the voices calling me to find refuge for 
my soul in other things find no responses in me. Give me 
day by day the stedfast immovable repose which finds peace 
through believing. 

Tuesday, Fifteenth Week, Gal. 3:1-9, 

1 O foolish Galatians, who did bewitch you, before 
whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly set forth crucified? 

2 This only would I learn from you, Received ye the 
Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 

3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye 
now perfected in the flesh? 4 Did ye suffer so many 
things in vain? if it be indeed in vain. 5 He therefore 
that supplieth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles 
among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the 
hearing of faith? 6 Even as Abraham believed God, and 



So 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. 7 Know 
therefore that they that are of faith, the same are sons 
of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, forseeing that God 
would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel 
beforehand unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all the 
nations be blessed. 9 So then they that are of faith are 
blessed with the faithful Abraham. 

Faith is the root of the spiritual life, and it always has 
been. Abraham's spirtual standing began and was sus- 
tained by acts of faith. But there is always a temptation 
to confuse root and fruit in the spiritual life. While faith 
is the root, righteousness is the fruit of Christian character, 
and there has constantly been a tendency to make root stand 
for fruit, and also to make fruit stand for root, forgetting 
that they are not contradictory, but two aspects of the same 
life. Faith does not ignore works, it simply seeks to give 
them their true and natural place. But when works are 
substituted for faith in Christ, then the spiritual life has 
been arrested in its natural development, and the Christian 
experience confused. 

Wednesday, Fifteenth Week, Gal. 3 :10-18. 

10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under 
a curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one who con- 
tinueth not in all things that are written in the book of 
the law, to do them. 11 Now that no man is justified by 
the law before God, is evident: for, The righteous shall 
live by faith; 12 and the law is not of faith; but, He that 
doeth them shall live in them. 13 Christ redeemed us 
from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; 
for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a 
tree: 14 that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing 
of Abraham in Christ Jesus; that we might receive the 
promise of the Spirit through faith. 

15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men: Though 
it be but a man's covenant, yet when it hath been con- 
firmed, no one maketh it void, or addeth thereto. 16 Now 
to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. 
He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, 
And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17 Now this I say: A 
covenant confirmed beforehand by God, the law, which 
came four hundred and thirty years after, doth not dis- 
annul, so as to make the promise of none effect. 18 For 
if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise: 
but God hath granted it to Abraham by promise. 



EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS 



81 



To depend upon our ability to conform to the demands 
of the divine law for the basis of our peace with God 
would be more than a precarious proceeding. Who among 
us could have peace? Who would dare say he had kept 
the law of God perfectly? Who among us is not conscious 
every day of painful shortcoming? There is no rest for 
the soul in that direction. Along that line we are doomed, 
we are condemned before God, and before our own con- 
science. There must be another basis of peace, if we are 
ever to enjoy it at all. And the basis of our peace is 
trust in the word of Christ, and the word of Christ rests 
upon the work of Christ, and the work of Christ rests upon 
the character of God. 

Heavenly Father, I thank Thee for Thy promises, for they 
have introduced me to Thy great salvation. They have brought 
to me that peace which all my struggles to be Christ-like 
could not give me. I rest not in my achievements, or in my 
feelings, but in Thy blessed word. 

Thursday, Fifteenth Week, GaL 3:19-29. 

19 What then is the law? It was added because of 
transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the 
promise hath been made; and it was ordained through 
angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator is 
not a mediator of one; but God is one. 21 Is the law then 
against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there 
had been a law given which could make alive, verily right- 
eousness would have been of the law. 22 But the scrip- 
ture shut up all things under sin, that the promise by 
faith in Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 

23 But before faith came, we were kept in ward under 
the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be 
revealed. 24 So that the law is become out tutor to bring 
us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 
But now that faith is come, we are no longer under a 
tutor. 26 For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in 
Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized 
into Christ did put on Christ. 28 There can be neither 
Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there 
can be no male and female; for ye all are one man in 
Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye are Christ's, then are ye Abra- 
ham's seed, heirs according to promise. 

The law of God shows us our condition. A mirror does 
not wash the face, it simply reveals the need for washing; 
and so the law of God is a mirror, it introduces the sense 



B2 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



of shortcoming, the sense of sin. And the gospel can have 
no real meaning until that sense has been created in the 
soul. 

It is the sense of shortcoming which introduces us to 
Christ and His gospel. And it is those who have felt 
most deeply their condition of unworthiness who most fulry 
appreciate the gracious message of Christ. If we would 
have a new relish for what Christ offers, let us have a 
new sense of our shortcomings. Let conscience awaken 
afresh the failures of the forgotten past. 

Friday, Fifteenth Week, Gal. 4:1-7. 

1 But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he dif- 
fereth nothing from a bondservant though he is lord of 
all; 2 but is under guardians and stewards until the day 
appointed of the father. 3 So we also, when we were 
children, were held in bondage under the rudiments of 
the world: 4 but when the fulness of the time came, God 
sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 
5 that he might redeem them that were under the law, 
that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And be- 
cause ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of his Son 
into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 So that thou art 
no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an 
heir through God. 

There was a period of life in which we were under a 
more or less deep sense of sin, while earnestly endeavoring 
to keep the law of God. We went about heavy-hearted, 
not knowing how to keep the law of God, and not know- 
ing how to be rid of our sense of guilty failure. And that 
is a very real experience in the life of many young people 
in the early teens. It is a great day for them when some 
wise Christian introduces them to the story of the grace 
of God in Christ. When they learn to take their place as 
the forgiven and accepted sons of God. 

And there are multitudes of young people who give no 
outward sign of their anxiety, who are longing for some 
clear message to lead them out from inner bondage, in- 
trospection and fear, into the glorious liberty of the children 
of God. 

Divine Spirit, give me the discernment to watch for the 
souls of the young. Help me to remember that many of them 
are groping in sorrowful darkness, waiting for some one to- 



EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS 



8,3 



guide them into Thy marvelous light. Teach me to see my 
holy opportunity and privilege. 

Saturday, Fifteenth Week, Gal. 4:8-11. 

8 Howbeit at that time, not knowing God, ye were in 
bondage to them that by nature are no gods; 9 but now 
that ye have come to know God, or rather to be known 
by God, how turn ye back again to the weak and beg- 
garly rudiments, whereunto ye desire to be in bondage 
over again? 10 Ye observe days, and months, and sea- 
sons, and years. 11 I am afraid of you, lest by any means 
I have bestowed labor upon you in vain. 

There are not only voices on the outside calling us back 
from the gospel of divine grace and liberty, into servitude, 
but there are sinister voices which whisper in our own 
souls, calling us back into spiritual bondage. There are voices 
within which tell us that our salvation is not certain, that 
we are not good enough, that we have not faith enough, 
that we have not patience enough. And young Christians 
are greatly tempted to surrender to those suggestions. Every 
experienced Christian knows that such surrender means dark- 
ness, moral and spiritual backsliding instead of advancement. 
And it is in surrendering to such whisperings that many 
promising Christian experiences are arrested in their develop- 
ment. 

Sunday, Sixteenth Week, Gal. 4:12-20. 

12 I beseech you, brethren, become as I am, for I also 
am become as ye are. Ye did me no wrong: 13 but ye 
know that because of an infirmity of the flesh I preached 
the gospel unto you the first time: 14 and that which was 
a temptation to you in my flesh ye despised not, nor re- 
jected; but ye received me as an angel of God, even as 
Christ Jesus. 15 Where then is that gratulation of your- 
selves? for I bear you witness, that, if possible, ye would 
have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. 16 
So then am I become your enemy, by telling you the 
truth? 17 They zealously seek you in no good way; nay, 
they desire to shut you out, that ye may seek them. 18 
But it is good to be zealously sought in a good matter 
at all times, and not only when I am present with you. 
19 My little children, of whom I am again in travail until 
Christ be formed in you — 20 but I could wish to be pres- 



34 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



cnt with you now, and to change my tone; for I am per- 
plexed about you. 

Sometimes people are afraid to trust wholly to the grace 
of God and they need the urgent appeal and testimony of 
some conspicuously Christian life that his hope is built on 
nothing else. Because a minister or Christian worker speaks 
very frankly to others about their spiritual condition it is 
surely not to be taken as if he is unappreciative of kind- 
ness bestowed upon him. Because those who are inclined 
to backslide in their faith have been very kind, that should 
not reduce an earnest man's concern or even alarm for 
their condition. And such people should not look upon 
the faithful servant of Christ as an enemy because he persists 
in being faithful to Christ and to their souls. 

Monday, Sixteenth Week, Gal. 4:21-30. 

21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye 
not hear the law? 22 For it is written, that Abraham 
had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the free- 
woman. 23 Howbeit the son by the handmaid is born 
after the flesh; but the son by the freewoman is born 
through promise. 24 Which things contain an allegory: 
for these women are two covenants; one from Mount 
Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar. 25 
Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth 
to the Jerusalem that now is: for she is in bondage with 
her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, 
which is our mother. 27 For it is written 
Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; 
Break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: 
For more are the children of the desolate than of her 
that hath the husband. 
28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of prom- 
ise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh per- 
secuted him that was born after the Spirit, so also it is 
now. 30 Howbeit what saith the scripture? Cast out the 
handmaid and her son: for the son of the handmaid shall 
not inherit with the son of the freewoman. 31 Where- 
fore, brethren, we are not children of a handmaid, but of 
the freewoman. 

If we insist upon living under the law, that is to say, 
without reference to what Christ has done and is willing 
to do for us, then we have no real sense of being in the 
divine family circle. We put ourselves outside the pale 



EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS 



85 



of the atmosphere of the divine love. We lose the warmth, 
the joy, of the filial relationship. It is like choosing to 
live in the shadow rather than in the sunshine. It is as 
if we would rather rear our flowers in the cold cellar than 
in the smiling garden. We can do either. Ishmael was 
an outcast, Isaac was an heir. Faith makes us heirs, heirs 
of God, and joint heirs with Christ. While without faith 
our life is a wandering, desert, outcast experience. 

Divine Master, I would abide in the sunshine of Thy pres- 
ence by faith. And I would interpret the reality cf Thy 
presence according to Thy promise, and not according to my 
imaginings as to how Thy presence should be made manifest. 
Help me to believe that Thy presence goes with me now lead- 
ing me into the privileges of divine sonship. 

Tuesday, Sixteenth Week, Gal. 5:1-12. 

1 For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast there- 
fore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage. 

2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that, if ye receive cir- 
cumcision, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 Yea, I testify 
again to every man that receiveth circumcision, that he 
is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Ye are severed from 
Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen 
away from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit by faith 
wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus 
neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumci- 
scion; but faith working through love. 7 Ye were running 
well; who hindered you that ye should not obey the 
truth? 8 This persuasion came not of him that calleth you 
9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. 10 I have con- 
fidence to you-ward in the Lord, that ye will be none 
otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his 
judgment, whosoever he be. 11 But I, brethren, if I still 
preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? then hath 
the stumbling block of the cross been done away. 12 I 
would that they that unsettle you would even go beyond 
circumcision. 

To seek to find acceptance with God because of anything 
that we can do is to eclipse Christ. Our much praying, 
our almsgiving, our service, can never form a basis for our 
being accepted by God. It is all of divine grace alone. 

We begin to rest upon what we can do in order to merit 
God's favor, then we are entangled in an entirely different 
system than the gospel, we put ourselves under obliga- 



PAUL IX EVERYDAY LIFE 



tions which we can never satisfactorily meet. And the result 
is we become uncertain as to our standing before God. 
We do not know whether we are accepted or not. The 
relationship was absolutely certain and clear when we trusted 
only in Christ, but when we introduce other things by 
which to make us acceptable then there are fears, hesitations 
uncertainty, as to the relationship, Faith in Christ alone is 
the root of our peace, but holiness unto God and love to 
men are the fruit of it. 

Wednesday, Sixteenth Week, Gal. 5:13-18. 

13 For ye, brethren, were called for freedom; only use 
not your freedom for an occasion to the flesh, but through 
love be servants one to another. 14 For the whole law is 
fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou shalt love thy 
neighbor as thyself. 15 But if ye bite and devour one 
another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of 
another. 

16 But I say, Walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil 
the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the 
Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are con- 
trary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things 
that ye would. 18 But if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are 
not under the law. 

The freeness of our access to God through the gospel of 
Christ is not to be taken as an opportunity or an excuse 
for a life of sin, but as an opportunity for the divine Spirit 
to have a new chance to control our whole being. 

The reason why some people have not lived a holy 
life is because they have had no sense of divine encour- 
agement to begin. But when they realize that they are 
accepted by faith alone, then they have a powerful incentive 
to let the Spirit of God begin anew His work of direction. 
And it is when the Holy Spirit is allowed to take possession 
of the actual facts in our life hour to hour that victory over 
the baser nature is realized. 

The practical work of the Spirit begins in the life im- 
mediately upon the soul's acceptance of the grace of God. 
It is then the Holy Spirit takes charge of the re-making 
of character. And He begins His work in the next 
thought. 

Divine Spirit, I yield my life to Thy control. Control my 
next thought. Steady my next act. Restrain my unbridled 



EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS 



speech. Pat seriousness and reality in all the work of the 
passing hoars. 

Thursday, Sixteenth Week, Gal. 5:19-25 

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are 
these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 idolatry, 
sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divi- 
sions, parties, 21 envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and 
such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did fore- 
warn you, that they who practise such things shall not 
inherit the kingdom of God. # 22 But the fruit of the Spirit 
is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith- 
fulness, 23 meekness, self-control; against such there is 
no law. 24 And they that are of Christ Jesus have cruci- 
fied the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof. 

25 If we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also walk. 

The tragedy of sin is that one sin leads to a multitude 
and there is no power of self-recovery. For a life to sin 
is like a fish sliding into a net, it is held. The glory of 
being led of the divine Spirit is that one act of obedience 
tones the whole range of the inner life. 

Character is a unity, and every surrender to the spirit 
sends a tide of spiritual health through the whole nature. 
The soul is affected at its center by love and peace being 
created, and at its circumference by joy and longsuffering 
being manifested. The antagonism of the Spirit and the 
flesh is real enough. The vital question is which is as- 
cendant, which has the sanction and cooperation of our 
personality to control the situation? 

Friday, Sixteenth Week, Gal. 6:1-3 

1 Brethren, even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, 
ye who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gen- 
tleness; looking to thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 2 
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of 
Christ. 3 For if a man thinketh himself to be something 
when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. 

When a life is governed by the Spirit there will be a 
great charity towards others, and especially towards those 
who have sinned and have lost their spiritual assurance 
and comfort. Such souls are in a perilous position. Sin 
and sorrow for sin may lead men to despair, unless some 



88 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



spirit-filled character humbly leads them back into the light 
which he himself enjoys. There are very many who have 
sinned who would come back to Christ, but they are blinded, 
they are confused, they are drenched in sorrow and shame, 
and they may never come back, but go further and further 
away unless they can find a spiritual helper, some gracious, 
discerning Christian whose tenderness invites confidence and 
whose message inspires new hope for a fresh start. 

Divine Master, give me the discernment of a great sym- 
pathy to see lives in their confusion and despair. May my 
bearing towards them be such as to help them open their 
hearts. And may I be able to lead them back tenderly to 
Thee. 

Saturday, Sixteenth Week, Gal. 6:4-8. 

4 But let each man prove his own work, and then shall 
he have his glorying in regard of himself alone, and not 
of his neighbor. 5 For each man shall bear his own 
burden. 

6 But let him that is taught in the word communicate 
unto him that teacheth in all good things. 7 Be not de- 
ceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, 
that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth unto his 
own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that 
soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life. 

We are at poor work when we estimate our achieve- 
ments to be greater than others. We are not only guilty 
of a false and unfair measurement, but we are resting in 
a foolish conceit. Every man has his own load to carry, 
his own problems to solve. And the divine judgment is 
at work upon every career. Every life will at last appear 
with the harvest of its own upon it, and that solemn 
fact should be enough to sober us all into seeing that our 
own work is the expression of the eternal realities within 
us. And we should see to it that we leave our fellows and 
their work to the same final judgment of God. 

Sunday, Seventeenth Week, Gal. 6:9-11. 

9 And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due sea- 
son we shall reap, if we faint not. 10 So then, as we have 
opportunity, let us work that which is good toward all 
men, and especially toward them that are of the house- 
hold of the faith. 



EPISTLE TO THE GALA TIANS 



89 



11 See with how large letters I write unto you with mine 
own hand. 

We must guard against spiritual exhaustion in Christian 
service. If we do not keep our souls abiding in Christ 
we shall lose our enthusiasms. It is one thing to get weary 
in Christ's service, it is another thing to become weary 
of it. And it is possible to get into the condition of being 
weary of it, if we neglect the inner side of the spiritual life, 
and if we forget that the reaping time is coming. Our 
abiding attitude toward the world must be that of doing 
good, rather than of getting good. And our point of contact 
in doing good to the outer world is first of all in doing 
what we can for those who belong to Christ. We must 
never forget that the upbuilding of Christians is quite as 
important as the extension of the Kingdom, and it is the true 
starting point 

Monday, Seventeenth Week, Gal. 6:12-18. 

12 As many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, 
they compel you to be circumcised; only that they may 
not be persecuted for the cross o£ Christ. 13 For not 
even they who receive circumcision do themselves keep 
the law; but they desire to have you circumcised, that 
they may glory in your flesh. 14 But far be it from me to 
glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through 
which the world hath been crucified unto me, and I unto 
the world, 15 For neither is circumcision anything, nor 
uncircumcision, but a new creature. 16 And as many as 
shall walk by this rule, peace be upon them, and mercy, 
and upon the Israel of God. 

17 Henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear brand- 
ed on my body the marks of Jesus. 

18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your 
spirit, brethren. Amen. 

Self-consideration gives rise to false notes, also emphasis 
in Christian serivice. The love of praise, and the fear of 
derision tend to bias men and women in their life, and 
service, and message. But when we see a life like St. 
Paul who died to the fear of the world's condemnation, 
and also to the love of its praise, we are in the presence 
of a life which carries to the world what it really needs. 
And that need, according to the apostle, is a regenerated 
life. And so great was his conviction that he was willing 



go 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



to suffer for it. His body scarred by persecution was the 
evidence of the sincerity of his purpose, and of his devotion 
to the one supreme business of his life. If we have a 
great conviction then we are ready to make a great sacrifice. 

Lord, may my life be so freed from fear of the world's 
censure, and from the love of its praise that I shall be able 
to be true to Thy purposes in me. May my devotion to Thee 
determine all that I shall be, and say, and do, 



SECTION V. 



Epistle to the Ephesians 



Tuesday, Seventeenth Week, Eph. 1:1-4. 

1 Paul, an apostle o£ Christ Jesus through the will of 
God, to the saints that are at Ephesus, and the faithful 
in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our 
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing 
in the heavenly places in Christ: 4 even as he chose us 
in him before the foundation of the world, that we should 
be holy and without blemish before him in love. 

St. Paul was absolutely clear as to his standing as an 
apostle. It was by the direct will of God, revealed in his 
soul as a conviction for which he was ready to suffer or 
die. And he was also clear as to the standing of the people 
he addressed. They were saints, not in holy achievement 
as we usually interpret the word, but saints in the sense 
of their privilege as Christian believers. St. Paul under- 
stood Christians to be saints in the sense that God had an 
exalted purpose in them. "The faithful" expresses more 
the outer, practical side of Christian character. St. Paul 
was also clear as to his definite message. It was a message 
of divine grace, and peace from God manifested through 
Christ. So that this most spiritual epistle begins with a 
lofty definiteness regarding St. Paul's standing as an apostle, 
the standing of Christians, and the Christians message. And 
the glorious reality of it stirs the apostle to praise God for 
the abounding spiritual sufficiency in Christ to make them 
all God meant them to be. 

Wednesday, Seventeenth Week, Eph. 1:5-10. 

5 Having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through 
Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure 
of his will, 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, which 



92 



PAUL IX EVERYDAY LIFE 



he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved: 7 in whom we 
have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness 
of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 3 
which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and 
prudence, 9 making known unto us the mystery of his 
will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in 
him, 10 unto a dispensation of the fulness of the times, to 
sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and 
the things upon the earth; in him, I say, 

The divine purpose in human character antedates creation, 
and so does the divine method of achievement of that glori- 
ous purpose. Christ is not only the eternal Son of God but 
in the eternal purpose of God. He was the chosen means 
by whom believers should enter into all the lofty privileges 
of the spiritual children of God. Christ is not only the 
redeemer of the individual soul, but the unifier of redeemed 
humanity. He alone can unite lives into a true and large 
unity, because he alone can establish the only true basis of 
unity in human hearts. And every other attempt to realize 
human unity, excellent in its own place, must be only partial, 
since Christ alone can reach the elemental needs of the in- 
dividual and of the universal. 

Thursday, Seventeenth Week Eph. 1 :11-14. 

11 In whom also we were made a heritage, having been 
foreordained according to the purpose of him who work- 
eth all things after the counsel of his will; 12 to the end 
that we should be unto the praise of his glory, we who 
had before hoped in Christ: 13 in whom ye also, having 
heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, 
—in whom, having also believed, ye were sealed with the 
Holy Spirit of promise, 14 which is an earnest of our in- 
heritance, unto the redemption of God's own possession, 
unto the praise of his glory. 

As Christians we are taken into the number of those who 
compose Christ's inheritance. The ransomed are Christ's 
inheritance, they are His portion, they are His bride. And 
to such Christ not only gives His forgiving grace, but the 
indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. By faith every be- 
liever may be assured that the divine Spirit dwells within him. 
It is not a matter of feeling, but of simple trust. And 
the consciousness of the Spirit's indwelling will grow accord- 
ing as He is obeyed. His presence in the soul is the guarantee, 



EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 



93 



the foretaste, the first fruits, of all that will at last be given. 
Those who possess the Holy Spirit are thus assured of 
having so much more than they now possess. 

Divine Lord, I thank Thee for the indwelling Spirit, I be- 
lieve in His presence by simple trust in Thy word. I would 
not rely on my feelings. May I listen hour by hour to His 
promptings within me, as He controls and directs my way. 

Friday, Seventeenth Week, Eph. 1:15-23 

15 For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in 
the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which 
ye show toward all the saints, 16 cease not to give thanks 
for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that 
the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, 
may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in 
the knowledge of him; 18 having the eyes of your heart 
enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his 
calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in 
the saints, 19 and what the exceeding greatness of his 
power to us-ward who believe, according to that working 
of the strength of his might 20 which he wrought in 
Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him 
to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above 
all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and 
every name that is named, not only in this world, but also 
in that which is to come: 22 and he put all things in sub- 
jection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all 
things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fulness of 
him that filleth all in all. 

It is surely interesting and profitable to know something 
of the prayer of a great Christian for his Christian friends, 
and we have such information here. .St. Paul prayed that 
his friends might have wisdom : that they might have en- 
lightenment on three great facts :(i.) That they might know 
for what they were in the world. (2.) That they might 
know the unspeakable value to God of obedient lives. (3.) 
That they might know the exceeding greatness of the divine 
power ready to work in and through them. 

And the apostle illustrates the fact of the power which 
may possess Christians by showing that it is the same 
power which raised Jesus from the dead. It is the same 
power of the divine Spirit which brought Jesus to the 
place of triumphant, spiritual supremacy, which is at work 
in the life of Christians. And St. Paul prayed that this 



94 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



transcendent reality might be comprehended by the Ephesians 
and the other believers to whom he wrote. 

Saturday, Seventeenth Week, Eph. 2:1-9. 

1 And you did he make alive, when ye were dead through 
your trespasses and sins, 2 wherein ye once walked ac- 
cording to the course of this world, according to the 
prince of the powers of the air, of the spirit that now 
worketh in the sons of disobedience; 3 among whom we 
also all once lived in the lusts of our flesh, doing the 
desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature 
children of wrath, even as the rest: — 4 but God, being rich 
in mercy, for his great love wherew T ith he loved us, 5 even 
when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive 
together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), 6 and 
raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the 
heavenly places, in Christ Jesus: 7 that in the ages to 
come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in 
kindness toward us in Christ Jesus: 8 for by grace have 
ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, 
it is the gift of God; 8 not of works, that no man should 
glory. 

Divine power can change the most callous, the most aban- 
doned, the most wayward, wherever there is a willingness 
to let the divine Spirit have His opportunity. But the 
change is achieved only by the grace of God. None can 
do anything to merit the transformation of the inner life. 
Reformation of character cannot produce spiritual illumin- 
ation. Those who are raised to sit with Christ in heavenly 
places experience the wondrous change through trusting God's 
forgiving, cleansing, sanctifying touch. Believing Christ's 
word, trusting His sufficiency, is the human aspect of the 
miracle of conversion. And ethical revivals have been born 
when men realized that God was willing to give them a 
fresh start, when they realized that He was willing to lift 
the tyranny of the past from their lives. It was only such 
a message and such power which could lift those people in 
Ephesus, who had been deep down in the mire, and were 
now clothed in white raiment. 

Sunday, Eighteenth Week, Eph. 2:10-13. 

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus 
for good works, which God afore prepared that we should 
walk in them. 



EPISTLE TO THE EPHBSIANS 



OS 



11 Wherefore remember, that once ye, the Gentiles in 
the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is 
called Circumcision, in the flesh, made by hands; 12 that 
ye were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from 
the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the cove- 
nants of the promise, having no hope and without God 
in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye that once 
were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ. 

The power of God can conquer habit, the influence of 
surroundings, and inner tendencies. For a spiritual char- 
acter is the work of God in a trusting soul. All God asks 
is the willingness. He supplies the power to achieve victory. 
The power that is in God is infinitely stronger than the 
power of evil that is in us. The battle is around the point 
of joining our faith to the power of God, rather than lying 
down in the midst of our sensations of weakness, and the 
whispers of unbelief. God has pledged to lift every life to 
holiness who will trust His power to do it. 

Monday, Eighteenth Week, Eph. 2:14-18. 

14 For he is our peace, who made both one, and brake 
down the middle wall of partition, 15 having abolished 
in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments 
contained in ordinances; that he might create in himself 
of the two one new man, so making peace; 16 and might 
reconcile them both in one body unto God through the 
cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 and he came 
and preached peace to you that were far off, and peace 
to them that were nigh: 18 for through him we both have 
our access in one Spirit unto the Father. 

Christ Himself is our peace. Peace is the result of His 
presence and of what He does for us. We are often 
tempted to desire experiences, feelings, or something which 
we have heard others obtain, and we are often disappointed 
in our desires. Why? Because we have been concerned 
with fruit rather than with root. It is not blessings we need 
so much as the Blesser. These earnest Christian people who 
have spent years of fruitless search for the renewal of some 
past emotional experience, and because it does not return 
they think they have gone away back in the Christian life — 
their standard of spiritual health is an emotion rather than 
a presence, and obedience to that presence. That is bond- 
age. Let us believe that possessing Christ we have poten- 



96 



PAUL m EVERYDAY LIFE 



tially all that we need, and as we obey Him He will give 
us whatever experiences are good for us. And even when 
such experiences come, even then we must trust Himself 
alone as our peace, for the experience may vanish. 

Tuesday, Eighteenth Week, Eptu 2:19-22, 

19 So then ye are no more strangers and sojourners? 
but ye are fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the house- 
hold of God, 20 being built upon the foundation of the 
apostles and prophets, Christ jesus himself being the chief 
corner stone; 21 in whom each several building, fitly 
framed together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord; 
22 in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation 
of God in the Spirit. 

Christians are not outside the pale of any spiritual privi- 
leges or divine outworkings. They are rather the very tem- 
ple of God. They are the outward expression of the in- 
dwelling presence. They are at the center of the divine 
purposes. God is doing His greatest work through them. 
Instead of thinking they are remotely related to the great 
purposes of God, they must realize that they are the divinely 
chosen exponents of God's revelations among men. Chris- 
tians are to suggest God to men, they are to stand forth as 
centers of light where God is to be found, a temple where 
the light of His glory may be seen, and the atmosphere of 
His presence may be felt. 

Heavenly Father, forgive its' for thinking that we have only 
a remote relation to Thy great purposes in the world. For 
we are conscious that in this we are not humble, but blind. 
Teach us that Thou art seeking to manifest Thy presence and 
plans through us. And may we so yield ourselves to Thy 
spirit that we shall neither disappoint the expectations of the 
world nor be faithless to Thy purposes. 

Wednesday, Eighteenth W eek ? Eph. 3 :l-7. 

1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus in 
behalf of you Gentiles, — 2 if so be that ye have heard of 
the dispensation of that grace of God which was given 
me to you-ward; 3 how that by revelation was made known 
unto me the mystery, as I wrote before in few words, 
4 whereby, when ye read, ye can perceive my understand- 
ing in the mystery of Christ; 5 which in other generations 
was not made known unto the sons of men, as it hath 



EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 



97 



now been revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets 
in the Spirit; 6 to wit, that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs, 
and fellow-members of the body, and fellow-partakers of 
the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, 7 whereof 
I was made a minister, according to the gift of that grace 
of God which was given me according to the working of 
his power. 

The price of preaching a universal gospel in the life of 
St. Paul was imprisonment — the narrowing of his personal 
liberty that he might proclaim the emancipation of the world 
through Christ. There is an abiding principle revealed in 
this situation. A large service to men must ever mean a 
deepening personal sacrifice on the part of those who ren- 
der that service. The larger the service the more of a pris- 
oner is he who serves. Sacrifice and usefulness are the 
counterparts of each other in a life. If we are to be use- 
ful we must be prepared to surrender some of our rights. 

Thursday, Eighteenth Week, Eph. 3 :8-12. 

8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, was 
this grace given, to preach unto the Gentiles the unsearch- 
able riches of Christ; 9 and to make all men see what is 
the dispensation of the mystery which for ages hath been 
hid in God who created all things; 10 to the intent that 
now unto the principalities and the powers in the heav- 
enly places might be made known through the church the 
manifold wisdom of God, 11 according to the eternal pur- 
pose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: 12 in 
whom we have boldness and access in confidence through 
our faith in him. 

It is quite consistent to have an exalted opinion of your 
work and an humble opinion of yourself. It is the Chris- 
tian attitude. The man that dare not belittle his work may 
have a very modest opinion of himself. God gives to every 
life tasks greater than his personal ability to fulfill them, 
that is to say, the tasks call for ability plus the power of 
God back of the ability, and that power is available for every 
obedient life. 

There is a great temptation to depreciate one's work be- 
cause of a keen sense of personal limitation, but the Chris- 
tian attitude is to believe in the greatness of everything the 
spirit of God prompts us to do. The disparity between the 
Christian worker's message and his own sense of personal 



93 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



unworthiness must not paralyze his enthusiasm, but drive 
him to find refuge in the grace of God. 

Friday, Eighteenth Week, Eph. 3:13-17. 

13 Wherefore I ask that ye may not faint at my tribu- 
lations for you, which are your glory. 

14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, 15 
from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 
16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his 
glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through 
his Spirit in the inward man; 17 that Christ may dwell in 
your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted 
and grounded in love, 

St. Paul's prayer for his friends was that Christ might 
dwell in their hearts by faith. And that is the prayer we 
should offer for some of our friends, who are good, and 
earnest, and useful people, but their sense of the presence 
of Christ is determined by their feelings, or they have pre- 
conceived notions as to how Christ should reveal Himself 
in their lives, and because these notions are not fulfilled 
they never really believe that Christ is actually in their lives. 
The need of so many is a realization that Christ is with them 
apart from their feelings, that he stays with them, and that 
the sense of His abiding presence is dependent upon their 
faith. 

Heavenly Father, when depression and difficulty and unrest 
would tell me that God is far away, grant me the faith to 
rejoice in Thy unfailing nearness. 

Saturday, Eighteenth Week, Eph 3:18-21. 

18 May be strong to apprehend with all the saints what 
is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and 
to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that 
ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God. 

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abun- 
dantly above all that we ask or think, according to the 
power that worketh in us, 21 unto him be the glory in 
the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for 
ever and ever. Amen. 

The heart of Christian experience is to receive the love 
of Christ. It is not to love Christ in the first instance. 
It is the conviction that He is now loving us, that He is 



EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 99 



now seeking to express that unfathomable love through our 
lives, cold and narrow, and imperfect though they be. Just 
as the source of all heat is the sun, so the source of all 
our inner transformation, and of its outward expression 
is our abiding consciousness that there are rays of divine love 
beating upon us continually through the indwelling presence 
of Christ. 

Sunday, Nineteenth Week, Eph. 4:1-3. 

1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to 
walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called, 2 
with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, for- 
bearing one another in love; 3 giving diligence to keep 
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 

Where there is a genuine inner realization of the love of 
Christ there will be a genuine outward manifestation of the 
Christ spirit. And the supreme outward mark of the Christ 
spirit is lowliness. Lowliness and meekness are deeper marks 
of Christlikeness than mere kindness. Kindness and use- 
fulness may quite possibly be in a life, with a great deal of 
bitterness and self-assertion. The real test of Christian 
kindness is the exercise of humility. And it is the exercise 
of humility in life which alone makes for unity. Without 
the exercise of humility no circle of people has a guarantee 
of the continuance of peace. 

Monday, Nineteenth Week, Eph. 4:4-6. 

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also ye 
were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one 
faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who 
is over all, and through all, and in all. 

Christians ought to live in unity because they have the 
great elemental facts of life in common. We have a com- 
mon Father. The same Holy Spirit is in us all. Whether 
we realize it or not, we are one spiritual body. We have 
a common hope of everlasting blessedness. We have the same 
divine Master, the same means of access admitting us into 
all the spiritual blessings which are ours— faith, the same 
sign of consecration to Christ. If we lived under the power 
of these realities which we all possess in common the poten- 
tial unity would become a vivid fact before the eyes of the 
world. 



100 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



Tuesday, Nineteenth Week, Eph. 4:7-11. 

7 But unto each one of us was the grace given accord- 
ing to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8 Wherefore he 
saith, 

When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, 
And gave gifts unto men. 

9 (Now this, He ascended, what is it but that he also 
descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that 
descended is the same also that ascended far above all 
the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave 
some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evan- 
gelists; and some, pastors and teachers. 

. Christ has an individual place and work for each one of 
us, and it is our business to use every means in our power 
to be sure we are doing the work He wants us to do. It is 
not enough to be busy, it is not enough to do what others 
ask us to do. We have a definite obligation to find out what 
our Master desires us to do. In His divine wisdom He has 
a plan for us and^ a great part of our fidelity to Him is to 
be true to that plan so far as we can see it and enter into 
it. And that may mean a great change in some lives, it 
may mean no change in some others. But it is our duty 
and privilege to take our directions from our Master. 

Lord, I zvould not be content to be useful, teach me to be 
useful in the place and task Thou hast for me. May Thy 
will control my inclinations, and the requests of others in the 
work that I shall do, 

Wednesday, Nineteenth Week, Eph. 4:12-14. 

12 For the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of 
ministering, unto the building up of trie body of Christ: 
13 till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the 
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto 
the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 
that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and 
carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight 
of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error. 

It is only as we take our marching orders from Christ 
that we can fulfill His plans and purposes in the Church. 
The work that Christianity has to accomplish in the world 
can be done only as individuals are obedient to Him who 
is directing the campaign. But when we are all trying to 



EPISTLE TO THE EPHESTANS 101 

do the work He has for us to do, the true spiritual prog- 
ress will be made in other lives. Christian unity will be 
furthered, and the uplift of the world will be realized. When 
we cling to what Christ has for us to do, we shall not be 
distracted by the varieties of voices calling us in opposite 
directions, each telling us that the work of his society is the 
supreme need of the time. 

Divine Master, help me to remember Thou art calling me 
to enter into Thy plan; help me to trust Thee for strength 
to conform my thoughts, and words and deeds to Thy 
promptings, 

Thursday, Nineteenth Week, Eph. 4:15-16. 

15 But speaking truth in love, may grow up in all things 
into him, who is the head, even Christ; 16 from whom 
all the body fitly framed and knit together through that 
which every joint supplieth, according to the working in 
due measure of each several part, maketh the increase of 
the body unto the building up of itself in love. 

After all, the spirit in which work is done is of funda- 
mental importance. What good is done by trying to bring 
about brotherhood, if in the task we are unbrotherly? Our 
life in service must have the true Christian spirit, and the 
organizations through which we work must breathe the spirit 
of Christ. Work for any good cause without a loving heart 
is professionalism, and professionalism is slavery to a task 
rather than slavery to Christ, and there is a vast difference. 
The one narrows personality, the other expands and enriches 
it. The one imprisons personality, the other liberates it. 

Friday, Nineteenth Week, Eph. 4:17-20. 

17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye 
no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk, in the vanity 
of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, 
alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance 
that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart; 
19 who being past feeling gave themselves up to lascivi- 
ousness. to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But 
ye did not so learn Christ. 

The natural history of the decay of a life alienated from 
God is a fearful story. At the base of the life there is moral 
numbness, conscience is silenced. The heart has no true 



102 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



sympathetic vision. The intellect, shrewd enough in some 
material things, is obscured, it fails to grasp the larger 
range of reality. And consequently the mind chases phantom 
pleasures. A sinful life has a natural history just as a holy 
life has. The law of spiritual death works just as inevi- 
tably as the law of spiritual life. There is nothing arbitrary 
about it. It is simply the solemn outworking of the law of 
degeneration as a result of cutting oneself off from the 
source of spiritual renewal. 

Heavenly Father, teach us to throw off our fears, our scep- 
ticism, regarding Thy gracious relation to us. May we turn 
to Thee in confidence that Thou art yearning to forgive and 
to receive every wandering and burdened life. 

Saturday, Nineteenth Week, Eph. 4:21-28. 

21 If so be that ye heard him, and were taught in him, 
even as truth is in Jesus: 22 that ye put away, as concern- 
ing your former manner of life, the old man, that waxeth 
corrupt after the lusts of deceit; 23 and that ye be re- 
newed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new 
man, that after God hath been created in righteousness 
and holiness of truth. 

25 Wherefore, putting away falsehood, speak ye truth 
each one with his neighbor: for we are members one of 
another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun 
go down upon your wrath: 27 neither give place to the 
devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather 
let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is 
good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath 
need. 

Putting off the old man is not only a long process, a dy- 
ing daily, it is also a definite immediate act of a renewed 
mind. It is a decision which may be made at this moment, 
and which may have beet 1 delayed through years of vacil- 
lation, under the pretext that the heroic step would be taken 
at some more convenient time. So often we tolerate in our 
lives things regarding which we are in doubt as to their 
being right, or things which we know to be wrong, and we 
think, because we admit the fact, and mentally register 
the hope that some day we shall put everything right that 
consequently we are excusable. But the Spirit of God calls 
for immediate action, for action which we know to be right, 
at any cost. 



EPISTLE TO THE EPHES1ANS 103 



Divine Spirit, help me to carry out Thy ivill in my char- 
acter. Give me the strength to break with all compromise, 
all cowardice, all fear of the consequences of doing what is 
right. May I arise into newness of life even in this hour, in 
the next action, may it be wholly sincere, wholly Christian. 

Sunday, Twentieth Week, Eph. 4:29-32. 

29 Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, 
but such as is good for edifying as the need may be, that 
it may give grace to them that hear. 30 And grieve not 
the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the 
day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and 
anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with 
all malice: 32 and be ye kind one to another, tender- 
hearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ 
forgave you. 

When the Spirit of God is permitted to get complete con- 
trol of a life one of the first things that takes place is the 
bridling of the tongue. Many otherwise good people have 
not realized this, with all their good works they have tongues 
as bitter as wormwood. This is the grievous defect in the 
lives of many useful people, it seems to be their besetting 
sin. And yet if one will only listen attentively to the Spirit 
he will find he is constantly restraining mean speech, and 
constraining generous, gracious, self-effacing speech. And 
how much our Christian social life needs this kind of speech, 
out of which the Spirit has pressed the bitterness, and into 
which He has poured the tender love of Christ. It is this 
kind of speech which heals wounds and inspires people to 
be at their best. 

Divine Master, help us to yield ourselves completely to the 
control of Thy Spirit in thought and life. 

Monday, Twentieth Week, Eph. 5 :l-7. 

1 Be ye therefore imitators of God, as beloved children; 
2 and walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and 
gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God 
for an odor of a sweet smell. 

3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, 
let it not even be named among you, as becometh saints; 
4 nor nlthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are 
not befitting: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye 



104 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



know of a surety, that no fornicator, nor unclean person, 
nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inherit- 
ance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no man 
deceive you with empty words: for because of these things 
cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience. 
7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them. 

It is not necessary to be a great sinner according to the 
world's idea of sin, in order to have a deep sense of sin. 
And when one has that deep sense of sin and also a gracious 
sense of the forgiveness of God in Christ, there comes into 
the heart a great charity, a genuine tenderness toward others. 
Gratitude for the renewing grace of God takes the place of 
fault finding. And that holy gratitude vanquishes the spirit 
of the self life in its various manifestations in one's own 
soul. The baser self has small opportunity for expression 
in a life that is full of the sense of the blessedness of being 
forgiven and brought into fellowship with God and with all 
that is holy. 

Tuesday, Twentieth Week, Eph. 5:8-14 

8 For ye were once darkness, but are now light in the 
Lord: walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light 
is in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 prov- 
ing what is well-pleasing unto the Lord; 11 and have no 
fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but 
rather even reprove them; 12 for the things which are 
done by them in secret it is a shame even to speak of. 
13 But all things when they are reproved are made mani- 
fest by the light: for everything that is made manifest is 
light. 14 Wherefore he saith, Awake, thou that sleepest, 
and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine upon thee. 

The redeemed life is shot through with divine light. Light 
is the atmosphere in which he lives. He lives an open life. 
He is willing to have people read his work like a book. He 
walks in the light of the Spirit's guidance. Whatever is dark, 
hidden, sinister, is foreign to the instincts of his renewed 
soul. He will make no compromise with what is hidden, he 
has no countenance for dark whispers. He lives in the day 
and whatever would have fellowship with him must also live 
in the light of day. It is the light of such a life that is an 
antiseptic in society. 



BPISTLU TO THE BPHBSIANS 105 



Wednesday, Twentieth Week, Eph. 5:15-17 

15 Look therefore carefully how ye walk, not as un- 
wise, but as wise; 16 redeeming the time, because the days 
are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand 
what the will of the Lord is. 

Because a man is a Christian he may not slight the details 
of life. His large interests, his supreme contemplations, must 
not obscure plain duties. It is not too small an affair for him 
to be on time to the minute, to fulfill his engagement to the 
limit, to so live that people can rely on his word absolutely 
without anxiety. Circumspect conduct does not merely mean 
morally straight conduct, it also means accuracy. It means 
conduct that has the element of precision in it, not the pre- 
cision of mere mechanism, but of wholesouled conscientious- 
ness. Some good men are laughed at by the world because 
every one knows they are not punctual, they are not scru- 
pulous in the details of their engagements. And no amount 
of success can atone for such conduct. 

Thursday, Twentieth Week, Eph. 5:18-20. 

18 And be not drunken with wine, wherein is riot, but 
be filled with the Spirit; 19 speaking one to another in 
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and mak- 
ing melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 giving thanks 
always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ 
to God, even the Father; 

The human spirit must be sustained in a condition of ele- 
vation in the midst of the detail, and drudgery and difficulty 
of life. And there are two ways of realizing that condi- 
tion of inner elevation. There is the way of the world, the 
false way, the way of drunkenness, of excitement, of guilty 
pleasure. And there is the way of the divine Spirit, who 
gives a holy elevation to the inner life expressing itself in 
exalted feeling, and in songs of praise. And such elevation 
has no afterwards of sorrow. It breaks no hearts, it wrecks 
no homes. It rather lets the sunshine of heaven fall upon 
those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death. 

Friday, Twentieth Week, Eph. 5 :21-24. 

21 subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of 
Christ. 



io6 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



22 Wives, be in subjection unto your own husbands, as 
unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the 
wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, being him- 
self the saviour of the body. 24 But as the church is sub- 
ject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their husbands 
in everything. 

No one can accuse Christianity of being unfair to women. 
Christianity is at the present moment engaged in the world- 
wide emancipation of women. But as a matter of order in 
the domestic circle there must be one leader, and nature and 
providence have made man the leader. Leadership does not 
mean unprogressive tyranny on the one hand, and it does 
not mean weak surrender on the other. It simply means that 
in the family life, which is the unit of society, there cannot 
in the nature of the case, be two heads. Such would mean 
confusion in a family as in any other sphere of progressive 
activity. 

Saturday, Twentieth Week, Eph. 5 :25-28. 

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved 
the church, and gave himself up for it; 26 that he might 
sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water 
with the word, 27 that he might present the church to 
himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or 
any such thing; but that it should be holy and without 
blemish. 28 Even so ought husbands also to love their 
own wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his own 
wife loveth himself: 

The duty of wives is counterbalanced by the duty of hus- 
bands. It is not a one-sided affair. Husbands as leaders 
have solemn obligations. It is the leadership of a great love, 
not of arbitrary opinion. It is the leadership, not of selfish 
getting, but of unselfish giving. The Christian husband must 
give himself in the home as Christ gives himself to His 
Church. The Christian home spirit is a microcosm of the 
spirit of the Church and of the redeemed world. The Chris- 
tian home is the training ground for heavenly society, each 
member emphasizing not his rights but his obligations. 

Sunday, Twenty-first Week, Eph. 5:29-33. 

29 for no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourisheth 
and cherisheth it, even as Christ also the church; 30 be- 



EPISTLE TO THE EPHBS1ANS 



107 



cause we are members of his body. 31 For this cause 
shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave 
to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This 
mystery is great: but I speak in regard of Christ and of 
the church. 33 Nevertheless do ye also severally love each 
one his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see 
that she fear her husband. 

There can be no tyranny arising out of the leadership of 
the husband in the home life if he recognizes the obliga- 
tion of loving. It is love alone which can fuse the home 
life into a unity. No uniformity of life can guarantee unity, 
except as mutual love is at the base of it. And this applies 
not only in the home but also in the Church. It is a spurious 
unity which is based upon anything less than reciprocal love. 
And we must bear this earnestly in mind in our high en- 
deavors to make the Church a true family in Christ. So 
long as there is the air of superiority on the one hand, or 
the attitude of suspicion on the other, there can be no spir- 
itual unity. Self-effacing love is the bond that will make 
the various parts of the Church of Christ that united body 
according to the prayer of our L,ord. 

Monday, Twenty-first Week, Eph. 6:1-3. 

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is 
right. 2 Honor thy father and mother (which is the first 
commandment with promise), 3 that it may be well with 
thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 

When children disobey their parents they violate the moral 
order of the world. They injure their own nature, they 
break the law of God, and they impair the family life, 
which is the seed plot of civilization. Obedience to parents 
is also obedience to God, it is the training of the individual 
life in self-control for his place in the larger world. What 
an unspeakable trial a spoiled, undisciplined youth is out in 
the larger world! He has to learn from the severe chastise- 
ment of his fellows the lessons he refused to learn under 
his father's roof. How much better to take the discipline 
from loving hearts at home, and pass out into life with the 
holy memory of obedient years rather than to have the 
sorrowful recollections in later life of cruel words, and cruel 
silences, which are far, far beyond recall. 



io8 PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



Tuesday, Twenty-first Week, Eph. 6:4. 

4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: 
but nurture them in the chastening and admonition of the 
Lord. 

A father who punishes a child simply to vent his anger 
is storing up resentment in that child's heart. And a father 
who weakly gives a child all that he desires in the spirit of 
mere indulgence may find in later years that he has not 
earned the child's gratitude but his severe criticism for being 
so lacking in moral principle in the boy's upbringing. A par- 
ent's love for a child must be expressed in something higher 
than mere good nature, which may simply be a cowardly 
fear of a painful interview. Love is something more than 
sentiment and extravagant adjectives, it strikes the masculine 
note. 

Wednesday, Twenty-first Week, Eph. 6 :5-8. 

5 Servants, be obedient unto them that according to the 
flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in single- 
ness of your heart, as unto Christ; 6 not in the way of 
eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but as servants of Christ, do- 
ing the will of God from the heart; 7 with good will doing 
service, as unto the Lord, and not unto men: 8 knowing 
that whatsoever good thing each one doeth, the same 
shall he receive again from the Lord, whether he be bond 
or free. 

If the man or woman, who is working for a master would 
get the most out of the relationship he must do his work 
not only for wages, not only for his employer, he must do it 
for Christ. When one does his work for Christ, he is work- 
ing with the easy yoke. It does not much matter then if 
the employer is unappreciative. The worker is getting the 
wages of Christ in his own spiritual development, and in 
the holy joy of fellowship with Christ in his work. To 
simply be a timeserver, to work merely to please men may 
bring a harvest of bitter disappointment, and then, too, it 
makes one the slave of his task. How much more glorious 
to be the slave of one's Lord, whose service means perfect 
freedom of soul and the friendship of Him who can see the 
motives of the heart. 



EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 



Thursday, Twenty-first Week, Eph. 6:9. 

9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, and 
forbear threatening: knowing that he who is both their 
Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no respect of 
persons with him. 

One of the severest tests of a man's character is his use 
of power. It is not his actions toward those who are inde- 
pendent of him that most deeply reveals the man. It is his 
actions toward those he has in his power, who are more, or 
less at his mercy. Then you see the undisguised personality. 
How does a woman behave toward her servant? How does 
a man treat his employees? The cruel threat is just as 
malicious in the 20th century as a clubbing in the middle 
ages. They are both a misuse of power. When a man 
speaks to those who are in his power with as much restraint 
and consideration as to those who are high above his reach he 
is revealing a merciful spirit. 

Friday, Twenty-first Week, Eph. 6:10-12. 

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength 
of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that 
ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 
12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but 
against the principalities, against the powers, against the 
worldrulejrs of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of 
wickedness in the heavenly places. 

We need more than human power because the tasks, the 
trials, the oppositions, in life call for more than human power. 
We must have superhuman strength in order to face the 
conspiracy of evil marshalled against us. The reason why 
so many go down before temptation, before bereavement, is 
that they have not been fully equipped for the experi- 
ence. They were not prepared for the terrific assault. It 
may not yet have come to us, but our day of heavy trial 
is coming. Have we girded ourselves with the power of 
God? The newspaper may seem to be enough for you today, 
but it may be that tomorrow will reveal to you that you 
need the Word of God, the divine strength, and comfort. 
Let us not be caught in the storm unprepared. 

Heavenly Father, when doubts and fears assail me, when 
desire for the highest life fails, when I have lost my bear- 
ings in the maze of life, when Thou dostlay duties upon me 



no PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



which are beyond my skill and power, may the conscious 
presence of the unseen Spirit give me confidence and 
strength. 

Saturday, Twenty-first Week, Eph. 6 :13-17 

13 Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that 
ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having 
done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your 
loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of 
righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the prep- 
aration of the gospel of peace; 16 withal taking up the 
shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all 
the fiery darts of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of 
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word 
of God: 

It is a great thing to have the soldier spirit, but the soldier 
spirit without the soldier armor will not win the battle. 
Nor is it enough to take some of the divine equipment against 
the trials of life. We should have the whole outfit, especially 
when it is freely at our disposal. It is not sufficient to 
possess the breastplate of righteousness, we must have the 
shield of faith. Faith as well as righteousness is necessary 
if we are going to get through this great battle of life so 
full of mystery. We must have the sword of the spirit 
which is the Word of God as well as having our feet shod 
ready for the march. Activity without the divine Word as a 
weapon will soon end in discouragement and defeat. 

Sunday, Twenty-second Week, Eph. 6:18-19. 

18 with all prayer and supplication praying at all sea- 
sons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all persever- 
ance and supplication for all the saints, 19 and on my be- 
half, that utterance may be given unto me in opening my 
mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the 
gospel, 

The Christian who is living in the largeness of life is in 
a perpetual attitude of all kinds of prayer. Stated times 
of prayer are not enough for him, nor can he be content 
with any one kind of prayer; he not only offers prayer of 
intercession, but of thanksgiving, not only of thanksgiving, 
but of confession, not only of confession, but of adoration. 
Christian prayer is the instinct of relationship to God in Christ. 



EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 



in 



And that instinct expresses itself, if it be in a healthy con- 
dition, a hundred times a day in various aspects of expres- 
sion. Spiritual things become the home of the thoughts of 
a truly spiritual life. It is not an effort to think of them, 
the tendency of the inner life is that way. 

Monday, Twenty-second Week, Eph. 6:20. 

20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it 
I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. 

An ambassador in chains. One's limitation may be his op- 
portunity. One's limitation may be an element in his power. 
One's limitation may be a blessed meeting place with his 
Lord. Is it not some chain of limitation that has made us 
what we are? But for that we might not have been the men 
of prayer. But for that we might have been carried away 
by the spirit of the world. But for that we might have no 
tender sympathy to give to those who are bound by some 
chain. There is an advantage in what we call disadvantage. 
The great matter is to be sure that the chain which limits 
us has not been forged by our own indolence, or pride, or 
self-will. 

Tuesday, Twenty-second Week, Eph. 6:21-24. 

21 But that ye also may know my affairs, how I do, 
Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the 
Lord, shall make known to you all things: 22 whom I 
have sent unto you for this very purpose, that ye may 
know our state, and that he may comfort your hearts. 

23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from 
God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be 
with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love 
incorruptible. 

It is a mark of love for our friends not only to think of 
them but to let them know something concerning us. When 
we are separated for a time from our friends, we must bear 
in mind that they have a claim not only upon our thoughts, 
but also upon the information which we can give them re- 
garding ourselves. St. Paul not only thought of the Ephe- 
sians, he sent Tychicus to tell them all that they would be 
interested to know. 

We sometimes forget that we greatly disappoint our friends 



112 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



by the in frequency of our letters and by the lack of our 
really taking time to impart the information which they de- 
sire, and that would be a comfort and a blessing to them. 
How few of our letters breathe a benediction. And it is 
usually the life in bonds which sends the benediction. 



SECTION VI. 



Epistle to the Philippians 

Wednesday, Twenty-second Week, Phil. 1:1-3. 

1 Paul and Timothy servants of Christ Jesus, to all the 
saints in Christ Jesus that are at Philippi, with the bish- 
ops and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our 
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

3 I thank my God upon all my remembrance of you. 

St. Paul's epistle to the Philippians is perhaps the most 
personal of all his letters. His great, generous heart was 
deeply touched by the gift that was sent to him, and such 
a token of love may have been the means of giving him a 
greater affectionate confidence in addressing his beloved 
friends. Not that he desired a gift, but the gift may have 
created an atmosphere which made it easier for him to 
express himself. 

St. Paul's salutation at the beginning of his letters always 
emphasizes the grace of God, as if that filled his mind as the 
great common fact which bound believers together. 

And then there follows the expression of the instinct of 
Christian brotherly love carried to its highest degree, when 
the apostle thanks God upon every remembrance of his 
friends, showing how unified the apostle's life was. His re- 
lation to men and his relation to God were not separate 
compartments in his life, they were a vital unity. All true 
character is a unity. A personality with fireproof partitions 
in it is not a Christan construction. 

Thursday, Twenty-second Week, Phil. 1:4-5. 

4 always in every supplication of mine on behalf of you 
all making my supplication with joy, 5 for your fellow- 
ship in furtherance of the gospel from the first day until 
now. 

It is one thing to pray for our friends, it is another thing 



Il 4 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



to pray for them with joy. If the element of joy were only 
present in our praying, and especially in our intercessory 
prayer, how much added power would be introduced into it. 
And what are the elements in such joy? It is made up of a 
great love, a great sense of power with God, and a great 
sense of the effectiveness of the power of God in bringing 
real blessings into lives. 

Joy in intercessory prayer is the abounding sense of what 
one is thus able to do for others. That one is having a 
definite influence with God on behalf of lives is one of the 
most satisfying realities of existence. 

If we only believed this fully intercessory prayer would be 
one of the heavenliest of experiences. 

Friday, Twenty-second Week, Phil. 1:6-7. 

6 being confident of this very thing, that he who be- 
gan a good work in you will perfect it until the day of 
Jesus Christ: 7 even as it is right for me to be thus minded 
on behalf of you all, because I have you in my heart, inas- 
much as, both in my bonds and in the defence and con- 
firmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers with me of 
grace. 

While it is well to be earnest in intercessory prayer, we 
must remember that the Spirit of God is also doing his own 
work in other lives. 

It is possible to be overanxious concerning others. Some 
godly parents are overanxious concerning their children, 
they are tempted in their great earnestness to forget that the 
divine Spirit is at work. Overanxiety is earnest unbelief. 

The reason why some Christians are joyless in their lives 
is that they are trying to take care of the work of the 
divine Spirit as well as their own, and it is too much for 
them. It is a great thing to know where our work ends, 
arid God's work begins. 

Lord, teach me to carry the burden of responsibility which 
Thou hast given me. But teach me to lay down the burden 
of responsibility which is Thine, and which is far too heavy 
for me. May I thus find joy in service. 

Saturday, Twenty-second Week, Phil. 1:8-11. 

8 For God is my witness, how I long after you all in 
the tender mercies of Christ Jesus. 9 And this I pray, 



EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS 115 

that your love may abound yet more and more in knowl- 
edge and all discernment; 10 so that ye may approve the 
things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and void 
of offence unto the day of Christ; 11 being filled with 
the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus 
Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. 

St. Paul longed to have his Christian friends grow in the 
spiritual life. That was the burden of his prayers for them. 
And he here indicates some of the elements in a growing 
Christian life: an increase of love that is wise and tactful; 
the ability to discriminate between the true and the false as 
these are encountered in the various situations of life; a 
transparent character, expressing itself in actions that offend 
no man's conscience and that permits the enjoyment in the soul 
of all that peace and joy which come to those who live holy 
lives. Wise affection, discernment, sincerity, outward con- 
sistency, and joy are some of the marks of a growingly 
Christian life. Let us not be content till these abound in us. 
Let us be afraid of having an experience which has ceased to 
grow, which is a memory rather than a present reality. 

Sunday, Twenty-third Week, Phil 1 :12-14 e 

12 Now I would have you know, brethren, that the 
things which happened unto me have fallen out rather 
unto the progress of the gospel; 13 so that my bonds be- 
came manifest in Christ throughout the whole prastorian 
guard, and to all the rest; 14 and that most of the brethren 
in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more 
abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear. 

All triumphs of the gospel must come through some form 
of self-effacement on the part of the servant of Christ. It 
is the lowly bearing of the suffering servant of Christ that 
strikes the deep chord in human hearts. And it is the suf- 
fering servant who inspires the courage of more timid work- 
ers. The biographies which inspire us are not those of smug 
souls but the lives of those who have been in all kinds of 
hard places, those who took enormous risks because they were 
not thinking of themselves but of their usefulness to the 
Kingdom of God. And every such stand is an abiding in- 
spiration for others to do likewise. It may be there are 
many waiting for you to take the courageous step; then 
they will follow. 



n6 PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 

Monday, Twenty-third Week, Phil 1 :15-19 

15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; 
and some also of good will: 16 the one do it of love, 
knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel; 17 
but the other proclaim Christ of faction, not sincerely, 
thinking to raise up affliction for me in my bonds. 18 
What then? only that in every way, whether in pretence 
or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and therein I rejoice, 
yea, and will rejoice. 19 For I know that this shall turn 
out to my salvation, through your supplication and the 
supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 

The actions of the mean soul cannot injure him whose 
heart is stayed on Christ. He only succeeds in contracting, 
in withering, his own inner life. Our refuge from the 
cruel behavior of others is in quiet fellowship with Christ, 
in that attitude God will turn what seems to harm us into 
everlasting joy. On the other hand, remember it is a vain 
thing to try to injure him who is living in obedient fellow- 
ship with Christ. He wears a coat of shining mail. And 
while you may be damaging your own soul by ungenerous 
attitude toward him, he is rinding out the blessed reality of 
the promise that all things work together for good to them 
that love God. 

Tuesday, Twenty-third Week, Phil. 1 :20-22. 

20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that 
in nothing shall I be put to shame, but that with all bold- 
ness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in 
my body, whether by life, or by death. 21 For to me to 
live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if to live in the 

flesh, if this shall bring fruit from my work, then what 

I shall choose I know not. 

When one can come to the point of being completely iden- 
tified with the purpose of Christ in his life, when he has 
made the great surrender, in those places of his life where 
he was formerly hesitant and sensitive, then he enjoys the 
glorious freedom from care which belongs to the true dis- 
ciple. All such people live in the enjoyment of a peace 
giving independence of what the world thinks, not an in- 
solent independence, but an humble, cheerful indifference. 
Slavery to the mind of Christ has brought emancipation from 
the tyranny of the world. 



BPISTIE TO THB PHILIPPIANS 117 

Lord, may my surrender to Thee be so complete that hence- 
forth there shall be nothing to fear. May it be so complete 
that I shall have no burden but Thy will, and Thy will is 
perfect rest 

Wednesday, Twenty-third Week, Phil. 1 :23-26. 

23 But I am in a strait betwixt the two, having the de- 
sire to depart and be with Christ; for it is very far bet- 
ter: 24 yet to abide in the flesh is more needful for your 
sake. 25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall 
abide, yea, and abide with you all, for your progress and 
joy in the faith; 26 that your glorying may abound in 
Christ Jesus in me through my presence with you again. 

Because a Christian lives with Christ in the eternal, it 
does not follow that he has no interest in the welfare of 
his fellows. On the contrary, it is his living with Christ in 
the eternal which gives him his deep and discerning interest 
in his fellows. He has a passionate enthusiasm for human- 
ity which strikes a far deeper note than superficial talk 
about being interested in one world at a time. It is only 
he who comes forth from the eternal, as it were, to labor 
in time who has an adequate sympathy and a sufficient 
message for his generation, 

Thursday, Twenty-third Week, Phil. 1:27. 

27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel 
of Christ: that, whether I come and see you or be absent, 
I may hear of your state, that ye stand fast in one spirit, 
with one soul striving for the faith of the gospel; 

The ideal for the Church of Christ is that the whole 
membership should stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, 
striving together for the faith of the gospel. What a glori- 
ous aim! How shall we begin to realize it? First of all in 
our own individual church let us have one spirit and one 
mind. Let us endeavor to realize it in our own commu- 
nity, not by competition, but by cooperation, not by inde- 
pendent action, but by consulting with our neighbors. There 
is religion in cooperation. The Spirit of God is seeking to 
establish a connection between us and our neighbors that we 
may serve together. We have emphasized service, the Spirit 
is now emphasizing service together. And there is a loud 



h8 PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 

call for men who can think through the problems involved 
in the larger unity beyond the local churches, in the nation 
and in the world. 

Friday, Twenty-third Week, Phil. 1:28-30. 

28 and in nothing affrighted by the adversaries: which 
is for them an evident token of perdition, but of your 
salvation, and that from God; 29 because to you it hath 
been granted in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe 
on him, but also to suffer in his behalf: SO having the same 
conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me. 

Nothing can conquer a man who is walking in the will of 
God. It is quite true he may seem to be vanquished, but 
it is only in the seeming. Nothing is strong enough to cause 
his defeat. It is therefore the duty of the man of God to 
habituate himself to a confident temper of life. To be ter- 
rified, to be scared, to be panic-stricken, means giving up to 
unbelief, to a distrust in the power and purpose of God. 
Faith in God implies keeping cool, unexcited, unmoved, tran- 
quil. And such a bearing has a wonderful influence upon 
others, while the panic-stricken attitude tends to upset every- 
thing and everybody. 

Saturday, Twenty-third Week, Phil. 2:1-4. 

1 If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ, if any 
consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any 
tender mercies and compassions, 2 make full my joy, that 
ye be of the same mind, having the same love, being of 
one accord, of one mind; 3 doing nothing through fac- 
tion or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each 
counting other better than himself; 4 not looking each 
of you to his own things, but each of you also to the 
things of others. 

If Christian experience is a reality in the inner life, then 
it must express itself by humility in the outer life. And 
there is no more signal evidence of the supremacy of the 
Spirit in the inner life than humble, self-effacing associa- 
tion with others. Not a mere passive resignation which is 
too negative to be greatly interested in others, but rather 
a humility which is actively and enthusiastically interested in 
whatever concerns one's associates. It is such an attitude 
which makes the joy of Christian leaders complete, when 



BP I ST LB TO THB PHIL1PPIANS 119 



workers have so lost themselves in the good cause that they 
are not sensitive about their rights, and their adequate recog- 
nition. On the other hand, few things burden a leader's 
heart more than the small jealousies and petty rivalries of 
subordinate workers. 

Sunday, Twenty-fourth Week, Phil. 2 :5-8. 

5 Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ 
Jesus: 6 who, existing in the form of God, counted not 
the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, 
7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, be- 
ing made in the likeness of men; 8 and being found in 
fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient 
even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. 

It ought not to be so difficult for us to be humble in our 
relations with others when the example of Christ is so 
vividly before our minds. He did not cling to His supreme 
heavenly rights and privileges. He was willing to surrender 
everything to the limit of humiliation. And that being so we 
ought to be content to have fellowship with Christ in His 
lowliness. It is the way with every true life. It is the road 
which the highest life traveled. That should be consolation 
enough for us. And it is in such a bearing that rest of soul 
becomes a sweet and satisfying experience. 

Lord, may I not refuse to walk on the lowly way. When 
my heart zvould be rebellious teach me to remember it was 
the path Thou didst travel. And as I begin anew quietly 
to walk with Thee, may I pluck the flower of rest which 
grows upon no other road than Thy pathway. 

Monday, Twenty-fourth Week, Phil. 2:9-11. 

9 Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto 
him the name which is above every name; 10 that in the 
name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven 
and things on earth and things under the earth, 11 and 
that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is 
Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

In our shortsightedness we cannot see that the lowly path 
is the only one that leads to eternal exaltation. But humil- 
ity has a great future. It does not make its own future. 
God takes care of that. The supreme lowliness of Jesus 
led to His supremacy. It is a hard doctrine, it needs a great 



120 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



faith to accept it, to live it, to believe that when everything 
seems to be giving way under one's life, it is only a 
stage in an inevitable progress, that such experience is neces- 
sary if there is to be final and abiding vindication. But that 
is one of the supreme messages of the life of Jesus and of 
all who have drunk deeply of His spirit. 

Tuesday, Twenty-fourth Week, Phil. 2 :12-13. 

12 So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, 
not as in my presence only, but now much more in my 
absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trem- 
bling; 13 for it is God who worketh in you both to will 
and to work, for his good pleasure. 

We must not be unduly dependent upon teachers and 
preachers for the development of our spiritual life. The 
abiding Spirit of God is ready to work in every obedient 
soul. He is the great teacher. He works from within, He 
whispers the will of God in the inner life. And as we work 
out what He works in, so we grow into the likeness of 
Christ. The absence of one who may be a great inspiration 
to us must not be made the excuse for a lack of spirituality. 
The highest inspiration to holiness of character is with us 
continually. Even when we do not feel His presence, He 
abides within us waiting only for the cooperation of our 
obedience to take entire possession of our being. 

Wednesday, Twenty-fourth Week, Phil. 2 :14-16. 

14 Do all things without murmurings and questionings; 
15 that ye may become blameless and harmless, children 
of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and 
perverse generation, among whom ye are seen as lights 
in the world, 16 holding forth the word of life; that I may 
have whereof to glory in the day of Christ, that I did not 
run in vain neither labor in vain. 

It is not enough to do our Christian duty, we must do it 
in a Christian way. In fact, we have not done our duty 
till we do it in a Christian way. Some people undo all the 
good they try to do by the spirit of complaint, and contro- 
versy in which they engage in their work. They not only 
spoil their own spirits, and mar the work, but they are a very 
real trial to their associates. On the other hand, the mag- 



EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS 



nifkent way in which some do their work is an inspiration 
all around. The spirit in which they do it does perhaps 
even more good than the work itself. Tt is, done so cheer- 
fully, hopefully, reliably, that not only are fellowworkers 
cheered, but the outside world is impressed. 

Thursday, Twenty-fourth Week, Phil. 2 :17-18 

17 Yea, and if I am offered upon the sacrifice and ser- 
vice of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all: 18 and 
in the same manner do ye also joy, and rejoice with me. 

When one who calls upon others to make sacrifices is him- 
self ready to make greater sacrifices then the spirit of true 
leadership is realized, and the possibility of confidence is 
established. And it is such sacrifice which creates the atmos- 
phere of enthusiasm and joy. Without sacrifice joy is stifled 
and formality takes its place. But wherever real and mutual 
sacrifice is made there the happy side of Christian life is pos- 
sible. But the sacrifice must not all be on one side. The 
leader must not expect the followers to make all the sac- 
rifices, nor must the followers expect the leader to make 
all the sacrifices. 

Friday, Twenty-fourth Week, Phil. 2:19-24. 

19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy shortly 
unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I 
know your state. 20 For I have no man likeminded, who 
will care truly for your state. 21 For they all seek their 
own, not the things of Jesus Christ. 22 But ye know the 
proof of him, that, as a child serveth a father, so he served 
with me in furtherance of the gospel. 23 Him therefore 
I hope to send forthwith, so soon as I shall see how it 
will go with me: 24 but I trust in the Lord that I my- 
self also shall come shortly. 

Information concerning others is a basis for increasing 
interest in them. And this applies particularly in regard to 
the Church's mission work. There should not only be mis- 
sion workers, but we often feel the need of having those 
who can go forth and bring back vivid impressions of what 
is being done. And we need to get the information through 
men like Timothy who are in absolute, unselfish sympathy 
with the situation. The testimony in regard to missions 
from mere tourists is not always fair, and those who try to 



122 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



be fair are not always enough in heart sympathy to be able 
to discern the spiritual significance of the work. For sym- 
pathy is the means by which we see the sublimer side of 
everything. 

Saturday, Twenty-fourth Week, Phil. 2:25-27. 

25 But I counted it necessary to send to you Epaphro- 
ditus, my brother and fellow-worker and fellow-soldier, 
and your messenger and minister to my need; 26 since 
he longed after you all, and was sore troubled, because 
ye had heard that he was sick: 27 for indeed he was sick 
nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on 
him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow 
upon sorrow. 

Epaphroditus who came to St. Paul at Rome as a mes- 
senger bearing a gift from the Philippian Christians turned 
out to be something more than a messenger. He did more 
than his task. He went far beyond what was expected of 
him, perhaps far beyond what was wise. He overworked 
himself to the edge of the grave in zealous service of Christ. 
The beautiful thing about it was that he did not seek praise, 
he did not even look for sympathy in his sickness. For he 
was brokenhearted when his fellow Christians at Philippi 
heard that he was ill. This heroic man rebukes those work- 
ers who are always mildly complaining about their health, 
and adding to the burdens of their friends unnecessarily by 
exaggerated self-consciousness. 

Sunday, Twenty-fifth Week, Phil. 2:28-30. 

28 I have sent him therefore the more diligently, that, 
when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may 
be the less sorrowful. 29 Receive him therefore in the 
Lord with all joy; and hold such in honor: 30 because 
for the work of Christ he came nigh unto death, hazard- 
ing his life to supply that which was lacking in your 
service toward me. 

We never know what some noble souls do and suffer ex- 
cept as we hear of it in some roundabout way. They would 
never think of talking about it. But we learn afterwards 
that some difficult work was done amid great pain or sacri- 
fice of some kind or another. It was done so quietly, so 
cheerfully, that somehow nobody thought much of it till 



EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS 123 

some outsider let some light in upon the situation. Then 
our eyes were opened, then we appreciated the situation and 
a modest, humble worker was discovered to have a larger 
personality, and to fill a larger place than we had dreamed. 

Monday, Twenty-fifth Week, Phil. 3:1-3. 

1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write 
the same things to you. to me indeed is not irksome, but 
for you it is safe. 2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the 
evil workers, beware of the concision: 3 for we are the 
circumcision, v/ho worship by the Spirit of God, and 
glory in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. 

The Christian life is negative and positive. It is a holy, 
joyous allegiance to our Lord, and it is a separation from 
all that would make a life of spiritual rejoicing impossible. 
When St. Paul said "Beware of dogs," he meant that his 
converts should have no association with those who would 
bring them back into bondage to ceremonies from which the 
gospel had made them free. The Judaizing teachers called 
the Gentiles dogs, but St. Paul here turns the tables. It is 
only close fellowship with Christ that can safeguard Chris- 
tian souls from the plausible half truths which seek to find 
an entrance into their minds and lead them away from the 
glad liberty of the gospel. 

Tuesday, Twenty-fifth Week, Phil 3 :4-7. 

4 though I myself might have confidence even in the 
flesh: if any other man thinketh to have confidence in 
the flesh, I yet more: 5 circumcised the eighth day of the 
stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of 
Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6 as touching 
zeal, persecuting the church; as touching the righteous- 
ness which is in the law, found blameless. 7 Howbeit 
what things were again to me, these have I counted loss 
for Christ. 

If the way of salvation preached by the Judaizing teachers 
was enough by which to find peace then St. Paul was con- 
spicuously eligible, he fulfilled every condition. But he real- 
ized that everything on which he had previously rested as a 
Pharisee for acceptance with God had to be cast aside if he 
was to participate in divine grace as revealed in Christ. And 
we must not forget that we stand on the same ground as 



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PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



the apostle. It is not our prayerfulness, it is not our ser- 
vice, it is not righteousness of life, which give us access 
to God, it is our simple trust in the forgiving love of Christ 
that is the root of our peace. But we must not confuse root 
with fruit, 

Wednesday, Twenty-fifth Week, Phil. 3:8-9. 

8 Yea verily, and I count all things to be loss for the 
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for 
whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them 
but refuse, that I may gain Christ, 9 and be found in him, 
not having a righteousness of mine own, even that which 
is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, 
the righteousness which is from God by faith: 

Nothing must stand in the way of complete trust in Christ 
as the foundation of Christian life. Everything that would 
weaken dependence upon Him must be cast aside. Noth- 
ing that we can do can in any way be a substitute for child- 
like faith in Him. It was when John Wesley realized that 
fact to be fundamental that he entered into a new day of 
spiritual liberty and power. And few men ever lived a more 
intensely self-sacrificing life than he, and yet he came to see 
that he must find a basis of spiritual character entirely 
outside of his own achievements. It was when Wesley found 
Christ and Christ alone to be the ground of his hope that 
he had a message for England. 

Thursday, Twenty-fifth Week, Phil. 3:10-11. 

10 that I may know him, and the power of his resur- 
rection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming 
conformed unto his death; 11 if by any means I may at- 
tain unto the resurrection from the dead. 

It is not enough to participate in Christ's forgiveness, a 
Christian must also share in Christ's sufferings and death 
in order to share in His resurrection power. Justification 
before God through Christ is the beginning of a regenerated 
life, but it is far from being the whole of it. Being justified, 
a Christian identifies his life so completely with Christ 
through obedience that there is fellowship with Christ in 
suffering, and in proportion as that is a fact in experience, 
there is also fellowship with Christ in resurrection power. 
That is to say, the measure in which a Christian dies with 



EPISTLE TO THE PH1EIPPIANS 125 



Christ is the measure in which he shares in the triumphant 
spiritual power of Christ. 

Friday, Twenty-fifth Week, Phil. 3:12-14. 

12 Not that I have already obtained, or am already 
made perfect: but I press on, if so be that I may lay hold 
on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. 
13 Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: 
but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are be- 
hind, and stretching forward to the things which are be- 
fore. 14 I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the 
high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 

One may surrender his life to Christ at any given moment, 
but the actual possession of that life by the mind of Christ 
is a gradual experience. Consecration may be an immediate 
act, but sanctifkation is a growth. Christ reveals His will 
step by step to those who surrender themselves to Him. 
And in order to enter into the mind of Christ there must 
be a forgetting of the things which are behind, and a re- 
membering of what His will is for this present moment. 
Christ cannot lead a life into the knowledge of His will who 
insists upon living in the past. Our Lord would concentrate 
the mind upon the next duty, and as we do it there will be 
light for the task beyond the next. 

Saturday, Twenty-fifth Week, Phil. 3 :15-16. 

15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus 
minded: and if in anything ye are otherwise minded, this 
also shall God reveal unto you: 16 only, whereunto we 
have attained, by that same rule let us walk. 

To be perfect according to the New Testament is not sin 
lessness, it is rather to have the desire to belong wholly to 
God. It has to do more with resolve, longing, rather than 
with achievement. And there may be mistakes, faults, in 
such a life. But if the desire for being fully possessed by 
God is sincere and abiding, those mistakes and faults will 
gradually be corrected, if the same simple attitude of trust 
and obedience is maintained. There must, however, be pati- 
ence with God and with oneself in the walk of faith. God 
does not do everything at once in nature or in a redeemed 
soul. 



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Sunday, Twenty-sixth Week, Phil. 3 :17-19. 

17 Brethren, be ye imitators together of me, and mark 
them that so walk even as ye have us for an ensample. 
18 For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now 
tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the 
cross of Christ: 13 whose end is perdition, whose god is 
the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind 
earthly things. 

Young Christians are sometimes perplexed as to what type 
of so-called Christian to follow, whether to follow those 
who emphasize belief, but do not seriously live the life, or 
to follow those who apparently live the life and yet do not 
make much of belief. But they are not shut up to these 
two alternatives. There are Christians who combine belief 
and conduct, faith and works, who trust in the grace of God 
and who are also holy in life. Such should be the example 
for young Christians to follow. Men who, like St. Paul, 
believed profoundly yet lived in absolute consecration to the 
will of Christ, are the true exponents of the Christian life. 

Monday, Twenty-sixth Week, Phil. 3 :20-21. 

20 For our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait 
for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 who shall fashion 
anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be con- 
formed to the body of his glory, according to the working 
whereby he is able even to subject all things unto him- 
self. 

The false type of so-called Christian is earthly minded, 
and the true believer is heavenly minded. The eternal world 
is the real world to him, and he is sustained in his life 
and work in this world by the glorious hope of a still closer 
fellowship with Christ and a more adequate power of self- 
expression through a glorified body. This hope does not 
make a Christian less useful in the midst of the problems 
of this world; it makes him ail the more genuine in his 
motives, all the more heroic in his endeavors. He brings 
the spirit and power of eternity into the tasks of time. 

Tuesday, Twenty-sixth Week, Phil. 4:1-3. 

1 Wherefore, my brethren beloved and longed for, my 
joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my beloved. 



EPISTLE TO THE PH1LIPPIANS 



127 



% I exhort Euodia, and I exhort Syntyche, to be of the 
same mind in the Lord. 3 Yea, I beseech thee also, true 
yokefellow, help these women, for they labored with me 
in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my 
fellow-workers, whose names are in the book of life. 

The deepest satisfaction and the supreme sense of success 
in a Christian worker's life spring from the fact of having 
been able to bring other lives into a true knowledge of 
Christ Every other achievement fades into insignificance 
in comparison. That is the real joy and crown, that is the 
holy satisfaction and success. Amd anything that would 
mar the spiritual progress of those one has helped is always 
a matter of grave concern. Unfortunately the cause of 
spiritual backsliding is sometimes a misunderstanding between 
two Christians. And the misunderstanding not only affects 
the two who are involved, but it affects the whole atmosphere 
of the Church. Two such people have a solemn obligation 
to settle their controversy for their own sakes, for the sake 
of the Church and for the peace of mind of the leaders in 
the holy cause. 

Wednesday, Twenty-sixth Week, Phil. 4:4-5. 

4 Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice 
5 Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord 
is at hand. 

Because there may be trouble we must not surrender 
to the mood it seeks to create in us. The abiding mood 
of Christian character is to rejoice in the Lord. The greatest 
rejoicings of the highest types of Christians have been in 
the darkest days, in the sorest trials. We must face every 
situation in the spirit of gentleness, patience, forbearance. 
And we can afford to exercise that spirit. The future is 
ours. The Lord is at hand. We shall be vindicated. All 
that is wrong shall be judged. Men of the world should 
see that we are waiting patiently for a higher, a final verdict, 
and that in the meantime we are in no panic. 

Lord, help me to quietly wait for Thy vindication. Teach 
me to abide in the spirit of gentleness and patience. May men 
see that I am waiting for the judgment of my Lord upon this 
passing life. 

Thursday, Twenty-sixth Week, Phil. 4:6-7. 

6 In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer 
and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be 



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PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which 
passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and 
your thoughts in Christ Jesus. 

We have here the secret of a great peace, (i) To be 
anxious for nothing, which means simply to be concen- 
trated in mind; to keep the mind steadily on the main 
business, not permitting irrelevant thoughts, secondary sug- 
gestions, to invade the mind. (2) To let everything we do 
be bathed in the atmosphere of prayer. (3) To let the spirit 
of thanksgiving be upon us, and that implies the spirit of 
remembering the goodness of God in the past Not living 
in such a hurry that we have no time to recollect what 
God has already done for us. That attitude shall be the 
condition of a great peace which shall take possession of both 
heart and mind through fellowship with Christ. 

Friday, Twenty-sixth Week, Phil. 4:8. 

8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, what- 
soever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, 
whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, 
whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any 
virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 

A Christian mind safeguarded by the deep peace of God 
will not meditate upon anything and everything. The mental 
conscience of a soul possessed by the peace of God is very 
discriminating as to what shall be the subject matter for 
thought. Such a mind dwells in the realm of truth, it will 
not think a lie, it will not think falsely. It will think of 
what is honorable, it will give no quarter to what is dis- 
honorable. It will think righteous things as between man 
and man. Purity will be the antiseptic atmosphere in which 
it shall live. And the thoughts of the peace-possessed mind 
will also be concerned with what is lovely, they will be 
beautiful, they will be artistic. And it will also speak with 
fairness, with winning attractiveness. Such will be the 
product of a mind pacified by the presence of God. 

Saturday, Twenty-sixth Week, Phil. 4:9. 

9 The things which ye both learned and received and 
heard and saw in me, these things do: and the God of 
peace shall be with you. 



EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS 129 

We can offer with confidence to others only that truth 
which we have lived ourselves. And what we have lived 
ourselves we can fearlessly offer to others. That is the 
secret of spiritual conviction. That is the secret of spiritual 
influence. It is not likely that we shall be able to convince 
and satisfy other lives, except as what we teach has first 
had a place in our own character, and has satisfied our 
own soul. We can give to others only the overflow of our 
own spiritual satisfaction. And it is when we know how 
real that is, from personal experience, that we have a supreme 
motive for boldly passing on to others that which has 
nourished our own inner life. 

Sunday, Twenty-seventh Week, Phil. 4:10-18. 

10 But I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at length 
ye have revived your thought for me; wherein ye did in- 
deed take thought, but ye lacked opportunity. 11 Not 
that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in 
whatsoever state I am, therein to be content. 12 I know 
how to be abased, and I know also how to abound: in 
everything and in all things have I learned the secret both 
to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be 
in want. 13 I can do all things in him that strengtheneth 
me. 14 Howbeit ye did well that ye had fellowship with 
my affliction. 

15 And ye yourselves also know, ye Philippians, that 
in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from 
Macedonia, no church had fellowship with me in the 
matter of giving and receiving but ye only; 16 for even 
in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my need. 
17 Not that I seek for the gift; but I seek for the fruit 
that increaseth to your account. 18 But I have all things, 
and abound: I am filled, having received from Epaphro- 
ditus the things that come from you, an odor of a sweet 
smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. 

It is not the material gift which is the source of delight 
to unselfish souls who have received something. It is the 
goodwill that is back of it, it is the bond that it indicates. 
The outward, the tangible gift is but' a sign, a symbol, of 
something better, more precious. It is like the stars and 
stripes, only a flag, but it stands for so much to the dis- 
cerning mind. It is not the material side of the gift which 
is desired by noble characters, it is the spiritual side. And 
the giving blesses the giver as well as the receiver. That is 



130 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



why giving should be encouraged in many lives, the act en- 
riches the life. It would be well if children and young 
people were encouraged to give more rather than to expect. 
Those who are not encouraged to give suffer a great lack 
in their higher education. 

Monday, Twenty-seventh Week, Phil 4:19-23. 

19 And my God shall supply every need of yours ac- 
cording to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 Now 
unto our God and Father be the glory for ever and 
ever. Amen. 

21 Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren 
that are with me salute you. 22 All the saints salute 
you, especially they that are of Caesar's household. 

23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your 
spirit. 

One may not be able to repay a great kindness in anything 
like the same form as it was bestowed. The most many a 
true servant of God can do is to commend generous hearts 
to God that He may supply all their need according to His 
riches in glory by Christ Jesus. And to do that in faith 
and in the power of spirit-inspired intercession, is one of the 
greatest services one can render to another. The great 
matter is to redeem the commending of friends to God from 
mere empty words, and to make it a holy reality. And the 
humblest, the obscurest, the most tried lives can do more 
for others through intercession before God, than this world 
dreams of. Their faith, their persistent pleading, can do 
more than money can achieve. 



SECTION VII. 



Epistle to the Colossians 



Tuesday, Twenty-seventh Week, Col. 1:1-5. 

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of 
God, and Timothy our brother, 2 to the saints and faith- 
ful brethren in Christ that are at Colossae: Grace to you 
and peace from God our Father. 

3 We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, praying always for you, 4 having heard of your 
faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have toward 
all the saints, 5 because of the hope, which is laid up for 
you in the heavens, whereof ye heard before in the word 
of the truth of the gospel. 

St. Paul opens his epistle by announcing his relation to his 
fellow Christians, and by showing that his apostleship was 
not a self -chosen position, but it was according to the com- 
mand of God. His letter is addressed definitely to conse- 
crated brethren in Christ, who are faithful in their consecra- 
tion, and to whom he would convey the grace and peace of 
God. The apostle had heard of the range of the Chris- 
tian experience of the Colossian Christians. The had faith 
in Christ. They had love towards their fellow Christians. 
They had hope of heaven. And the possession of such 
Christian experience on the part of his friends filled his heart 
with thanksgiving to God, and with the spirit of inter- 
cession on their behalf. St. Paul does not dwell upon gen- 
eralities. He is definite, clear, explicit. It would be well 
for us as Christian workers if we could maintain as clear 
and definite realtions to Christ, to His gospels, and to His 
people, as are here stated by the apostle. 

Wednesday, Twenty-seventh Week, Col. 1:6-7. 

6 Which is come unto you; even as it is also in all 
the world bearing fruit and increasing, as it doth in you 



132 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



also, since the day ye heard and knew the grace of 
God in truth; 7 even as ye learned of Epaphras our be- 
loved fellow-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ 
on our behalf. 

The Christian gospel is a universal message. It is an 
appeal to the elemental man everywhere. It is not a local 
utterance. It is universal because it answers a universal 
need. And the gospel finds a world-wide response. Its 
message bears fruit in every part of the world. We need 
to hear more of the triumphs of the gospel in the remote 
and dark places of the earth. It would quicken our own 
faith. It would reveal to us the power of God, and the cry 
of the universal heart. There are many great books which 
would open our eyes upon the triumphs of the gospel in our 
day, if we inquire for them at the library. 

Thursday, Twenty-seventh Week, Col. 1:8-10. 

8 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. 

9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, 
do not cease to pray and make request for you, that yc 
may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spirit- 
ual wisdom and understanding, 10 to walk worthily of 
the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good 
work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. 

The fact that the Colossian Christians had a definite spir- 
itual experience inspired the apostle to pray that they might 
possess all the blessings God had for them. He prayed that 
they might fully know the will of God, and that they might 
be able to translate that knowledge into consistent living, 
and fruitful service, continually increasing in the knowledge 
of God. We as Christian workers must see that this is the 
great need of the Church, that there should be Christians who 
have an experience, but that there should be more who 
have a growing experience, an unceasing expansion in spir- 
itual knowledge and service, which knows no arrested de- 
velopment and whose spiritual consciousness is not a past 
memory but a daily expanding reality. 

Friday, Twenty-seventh Week, Col. 1:11-12. 

11 Strengthened with all power, according to the might 
of his glory, unto all patience and longsuffering with 
joy; 12 giving thanks unto the Father, who made us 



BPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS 133 



meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in 
light. 

Nothing short of divine power can keep a life patient, 
and free from the spirit of revenge, under certain trying 
circumstances, and to exercise these virtues of patience and 
Jongsuffering, with joyfulness, with triumph, with something 
more than mere grim endurance, requires the strengthening 
grace of God. And in the midst of all that to have the 
spirit of thankfulness, to live in the attitude of mind which 
counts our blessings, instead of dwelling complainingly upon 
our troubles, is a revelation to the world of the true Chris- 
tian bearing. The strength necessary for us to so live is 
available through the prayer of faith in Christ. 

Saturday, Twenty-seventh Week, Col. 1 :13-14. 

13 Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, 
and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; 
14 in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of 
our sins. 

To be rescued from the tyranny of darkness by the com- 
ing of light is a very real blessing in the physical world. 
To emerge from the darkness of the Catacombs into the 
bright sunlight is a wonderful translation, or for the en- 
tombed miners to breathe once again the free air and sun- 
shine, but these are faint illustrations of that greater de- 
liverance which comes to those who were once conscious 
of the spiritual darkness in which there was no sense of 
pardon, of hope, of divine aid, of the meaning of trial. And 
now they stand in the divine light having a sense of par- 
don, of hope, of divine help, and of the meaning of trial. 
They are translated into a glorious, universal kingdom of 
holy liberty, instead of cowering in a dungeon of despair. 
And the way out of the darkness into the light was through 
the cross of Christ, through the forgiveness of sins, through 
simple trust in the redeeming love of Christ. 

Sunday, Twenty-eighth Week, Col. 1:15-19. 

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the first- 
born of all creation; 16 for in him were all things created, 
in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and 



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PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or princi- 
palities or powers; all things have been created through 
him, and unto him; 17 and he is before all things, and in 
him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the 
body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from 
the dead; that in all things he might have the preemi- 
nence. 19 or it was the good pleasure of the Father that 
in him should all the fulness dwell. 

Christ is the outward expression of God in time. As such 
He antedates the created world. God has given Him the 
supreme place, in the seen and the unseen. And in Christ's 
mission to reveal God to the world, as well as to capture 
the hearts of men for God He manifests Himself through 
His Church. In this light, how solemn is the obligation 
upon Christians who are the outward members of the body 
of Christ, to faithfully translate into human life the char- 
acter and program of our Lord. He is the revelation of the 
character, the power and the purposes of God. And we 
should be the revelation to the world of the character, the 
power and purposes of Christ. 

Monday, Twenty-eighth Week, Col. 1:20-22. 

20 And through him to reconcile all things unto him- 
self, having made peace through the blood of his cross; 
through him I say, whether things upon the earth, or 
things in the heavens. 21 And you, being in time past 
alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works, 
22 yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh 
through death, to present you holy and without blemish 
and unreprovable before him. 

The Cross of Christ is not the attempt of God to be 
reconciled to men, it is the opportunity for men to be recon- 
ciled to God. And the Cross of Christ is the way by which 
those who are furthest away from God, in both mind and 
outward life may return to Him. And when men so return 
the Spirit of God has the opportunity to actually change 
their inner life so that their blemishes of character are re- 
moved and their outward life is made beyond reproach. Sal- 
vation is therefore, in the first instance, through faith in the 
Cross of Christ and afterwards through character wrought 
into the life by the power of the indwelling Spirit of God. 

Tuesday, Twenty-eighth Week, Col. 1:23. 

23 If so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and 
stedfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel 



EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS 



which ye heard, which was preached in all creation under 
heaven; whereof I Paul was made a minister. 

The reason why so many professing Christians do not 
possess a growing experience is simply that they cease to 
continue in the attitude of faith and obedience towards 
Christ. The expansion of personal spiritual experience is 
dependent upon the exercise of the grace of continuance. 
There must be no cessation of the conditions of growth. 
There must be no surrender to mere moods and passing 
whims, no shifting from the true basis of growth. No seed 
could become a plant that was taken out of the ground 
from time to time, a marble or onyx slab would be no sub- 
stitute for soil. And the spiritual life must abide in Christ, 
it must be kept in its true environment if growing experi- 
ence is to be a reality, 

Wednesday, Twenty-eighth Week, Col. 1:24-27. 

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and 
fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions 
of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the 
church; 25 whereof I was made a minister, according to 
the dispensation of God which was given me to you-ward, 
to fulfill the word of God, 26 even the mystery which 
hath been hid for ages and generations: but now hath it 
been manifested to his saints, 27 to whom God was 
pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory 
of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in 
you, the hope of glory. 

While Christ suffered in a unique sense, in a sense in 
which no supplement is possible, in a sense in which he stands 
absolutely alone as the giver of salvation, yet in the carry- 
ing out of Christ's message, of His program, the servant of 
Christ may thus supplement the sufferings of His master. 
One who becomes a minister of the grace of God is privileged 
to suffer in declaring the message. And that suffering comes 
in various ways if one is faithful in his life and message 
to his master. Old forms of suffering may pass with ad- 
vancing civilization, but suffering will not pass away for the 
faithful servant of Christ. It comes in altogether new guises, 
but it comes. 



136 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



Thursday, Twenty-eighth Week, Col. 1 :28-29. 

28 Whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and 
teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present 
every man perfect in Christ; 29 whereunto I labor also, 
striving according to his working, which worketh in me 
mightily. 

The Christian religion is something which God has made 
known, its origin is not in men. It has its origin in the 
wealth of God. And no cult or race has a monopoly of it. 
There is the same rich share of the gospel for all. The in- 
dwelling Christ may be a fact in the experience of the 
South Sea Islander as well as in the life of the most privi- 
leged. And the preacher of the gospel has the same mes- 
sage for all men. Every man must be warned and every 
man must be taught, if every man is to be really helped in 
the divine life. And in order to do this effectively the 
Christian worker must strive to be a true conductor of spir- 
itual power. 



Friday, Twenty-eighth Week, Col. 2:1-2. 

1 For I would have you know how greatly I strive for 
you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have 
not seen my face in the flesh; 2 that their hearts may 
be comforted, they being knit together in love, and unto 
all riches of the full assurance of understanding, that they 
may know the mystery of God, even Christ. 

Those who receive the message of the gospel never know 
what it costs the true preacher, true missionary, in order to 
declare his message effectively. The world can never know 
or understand the anguish, the agony, the exhaustion of sus- 
tained intercessory prayer on the part of the true watcher 
for human souls. Of course, the work of ministry may be 
done on the purely intellectual basis without much inner ex- 
haustion. But we are here thinking of the intellectual plus 
the spiritual aspect of Christian ministry. And the spiritual 
element truly exercised taxes the personality far more search- 
ingly than any other, that is why we are so tempted to 
neglect it. But when the spiritual element is exercised then 
hearts are really comforted, they are knit together, they enter 
into the riches of full assurance. 



EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS 137 



Saturday, Twenty-eighth Week, Col. 2:3-5. 

3 In whom are all the treasures o£ wisdom and knowl- 
edge hidden. 4 This I say, that no one may delude you 
with persuasiveness of speech 5 For though I am absent 
in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and 
beholding your order, and the stedfastness o£ your faith 
in Christ. 

All that is in Christ is not evident at first. The treasures 
which Christ holds for His people are hidden. They have 
to be gradually discovered. There may seem to be more 
elsewhere than in Christ for some minds, and men may be 
able to draw them away with enticing words. There are 
systems in our own day, as in St. Paul's day, with loud 
sounding names which seem to hold a great deal more, and 
which seem to have a bewitching influence. But there may- 
be little behind the names, while Christ is a hidden treasury, 
never yet fully discovered- He holds the wisdom and the 
knowledge for which our world is vainly searching else- 
where. 

Sunday, Twenty-ninth Week, Col. 2:6-8. 

6 As therefore ye received Christ Jesus the Lord, so 
walk in him, 7 rooted and builded up in him, and estab- 
lished in your faith, even as ye were taught, abounding 
in thanksgiving. 

8 Take heed lest there shall be any one that maketh 
spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit, 
after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the 
world, and not after Christ. 

It is not enough to believe, belief must be translated into 
life. It is not enough to receive Christ, His will, His spirit 
must be carried out into common daily life. Christian char- 
acter on the inner side of it is not merely a series of more 
or less earnest longings after Christ, soft, unheroic, poetic 
musings ; it must be a strong, determined giving of the whole 
heart and mind to Christ. There must be masculine volition 
put into our mental and spiritual relation to our Lord. It 
is only thus that we can be kept from being carried away 
by intellectual fads. And it is just those whose relation to 
Christ has been of the shallow, emotional, effeminate order, 
who are most often carried away by some new sophistry. 



138 PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



Monday, Twenty-ninth Week, Col. 2:9-12. 

9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead 
bodily, 10 and in him ye are made full, who is the head 
of all principality and power: 11 in whom ye were also 
circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, 
in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circum- 
cision of Christ; 12 having been buried with him in 
baptism, wherein ye were also raised with him through 
faith in the working of God, who raised him from the 
dead. 

The fulness of God is not scattered amid various systems 
of religion, it is not uttered partly through some great 
teacher, and partly through Christ. There is truth in all 
religions. There are messages from all great teachers. But 
Christ gathers up into Himself the fulness of God. He ex- 
presses in complete revelation what other systems, other 
teachers have expressed in fragments. There is no need for 
lesser lights when we have the sun. We need no other mas- 
ters when we have Christ. Epictetus has no unique message 
for the true disciple of Christ. And we need no angelic 
mediators between our souls and Christ. We have direct, 
abiding contact with Him. and in Him we are complete, 

Tuesday, Twenty-ninth Week, Col. 2:13-15. 

13 And you, being dead through your trespasses and 
the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, I say, did he make 
alive together with him, having forgiven us all our tres- 
passes; 14 having blotted out the bond written in ordin- 
ances that was against us, which was contrary to us: 
and he hath taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross; 
15 having despoiled the principalities and the powers, he 
made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 

Even the callous soul can be quickened. The life that 
has been benumbed through the influence of sin may be re- 
stored. And the sins of such may be forgiven, the bond 
which he could not pay being cancelled and nailed to the 
cross. Everything which stands in the way of redemption 
of souls has been achieved by Christ. But that being so, 
He call, for the cooperation of the human will. Whoever 
will may come. That is all Christ asks. But He demands 
that. There can be no salvation without a response of the 
will to the Saviour. But all the other obstacles have been 



EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS 139 



dealt with. The way into the highest blessings in the spir- 
itual world is open to every life that wills to be ied by 
Christ 

Wednesday, Twenty-ninth Week, Col. 2 :16-17. 

16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in 
drink, or in respect of a feast day or a new moon or 
a sabbath day: 17 which are a shadow of the things to 
come; but the body is Christ's. 

Under the rule of Christ no one is held in bondage to any 
ceremonial rites, as such. They have no authority over the 
Christian. Christ alone is master. One's relation to food 
and drink, to feast days, to the Sabbath, is determined wholly 
by the highest interests of his spiritual life, and his highest 
influence upon others as a Christian man. The point is that 
none of these things has any dominion over the individual ; 
he is the servant of Christ, and his relation to all external 
things is simply as they may contribute to his effectiveness 
as a true disciple. That is Christian freedom. Such is the 
emancipation of Christ for obedient lives. 

Thursday, Twenty-ninth Week, Col. 2 :18-19. 

18 Let no man rob you of your prize by a voluntary 
humility and worshipping of the angels, dwelling in the 
things which he hath seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly 
mind, 19 and not holding fast the Head, from whom all 
the body, being supplied and knit together through the 
joints and bands, increaseth with the increase of God. 

Angel worship must not take the place of the worship of 
our Lord. Such temptations invaded the Colossian church 
and we are not free from them in our own day. There 
must be no giving to any other personality in the unseen 
world what belongs to Christ. Some may see a certain 
humility in seeking contact with the unseen world through 
a being less exalted than our Saviour, but it is a spurious 
humility. And seeking contact with the unseen world 
through angelic beings, rather than through Christ, must in- 
evitably mean a weakening of the personal spiritual life, and 
also a weakening of spiritual relationship with fellow be- 
lievers. 



140 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



Friday, Twenty-ninth Week, Col. 2:20-23. 

20 If ye died with Christ from the rudiments of the 
world, why, as though living in the world, do ye subject 
yourselves to ordinances, 21 Handle not, nor taste, nor 
touch 22 (all which things are to perish with the using), 
after the precepts and doctrines of men? 23 Which 
things have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship, 
and humility, and severity to the body; but are not of 
any value against the indulgence of the flesh. 

The Christian religion is not obedience to a set of rules, 
it is not slavery to ordinances, it is not mere asceticism. 
It is devotion to a living person. And Christians must main- 
tain their true position, they must not confuse the situation. 
We live on a higher level than that upon which the sophis- 
tries of men operate, and we must abide on that higher 
level. Those who live upon those lower levels, devotees 
of various cults, may seem to have plausible enough rea- 
sons for so doing, but it is not Christianity. And Christian- 
ity includes all that is good for us, in its healthy propor- 
tion. It is a balanced appeal to the whole man. There are 
no extravagant exaggerations, no lamentable omissions. 
Therefore let us not forsake that which is symmetrical for 
that which is freakish. 

Saturday, Twenty-ninth Week, Col. 3:1-4. 

1 If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the 
things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right 
hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things that are 
above, not on the things that are upon the earth. 3 For 
ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When 
Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye 
also with him be manifested in glory. 

The Christian life is lived in eternity now. Eternity is 
His present abode. He is a citizen of the eternal. He has 
died to the ambitions and the tricks of the passing world. 
His life in this world is a projection of eternity, and he is 
all the more desirable a citizen of this planet because he 
has his ideals, his motives, his power from the eternal. 
That is the kind of a citizen this poor old world is looking 
for, one who comes with clean hands to give and not to 
get, to serve and not to be feted and honored and praised. 
One whose aims are not an echo of the roar in the street, 



EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS 141 



but an echo of the voice of the divine Spirit. Such a life 
may wear very poor clothes and live on a mean street, but 
that is only the disguise of his royalty. His real life is hid- 
den with Christ in God, but only for a little while; that 
citizen of the eternal is coming into his own. He shall 
appear with Christ in glory. 

Sunday, Thirtieth Week, Col. 3:5-10. 

5 Put to death therefore your members which are upon 
the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, 
and covetousness, which is idolatry; 6 for which things' 
sake cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of diso- 
bedience: 7 wherein ye also once walked, when ye lived 
in these things; 8 but now do ye also put them all away: 
anger, wrath, malice, railing, shameful speaking out of 
your mouth: 9 lie not one to another; seeing that ye have 
put off the old man with his doings. 

10 And have put on the new man, that is being renewed 
into knowledge after the image of him that created him. 

The high spiritual destiny of the Christian believer fur- 
nishes a supreme motive for dying to the baser side of his 
life, for refusing to be moved by the evil promptings 
of the animal nature. Lust and malice belong to the life 
that perisheth. But lives that are living in eternity, that are 
swayed by the divine Spirit, have surely found the true 
motive for living above the cravings of the flesh. It is not 
a mere effort of the will to do right, it is the sense of being 
in the swing and throb of a higher order of things, of 
being in the rhythm of the movement of the divine will 
working in beings that shall live forever, of moving towards 
a holy, eternal fellowship. 

Monday, Thirtieth Week, Col. 3:11-14. 

11 Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision, 
and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, free- 
man; but Christ is all and in all. 

12 Put on therfore, as God's elect, holy and beloved, a 
heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness long- 
suffering; 13 forbearing one another, and forgiving each 
other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as 
the Lord forgave you, so also do ye: 14 and above all 
these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness, 

There is no religious monopoly and bitterness in the eter- 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



nal world, no social pride and separation, no sex distinc- 
tion. Therefore Christian people must be preparing for that 
order of things. They must even now be true to the spirit 
of the eternal world of which they are citizens. They 
must show forth to those who are earth-bound the true 
temper of those who are living in the presence of God. 
Are we so living now that when we are in the immediate 
presence of those who are in the light we shall find the 
spirit of that life congenial to us? Heaven will be heaven 
for us only as we are being educated into the spirit 
of heaven now. And the spirit of heaven is self-effacing 
love. 

Tuesday, Thirtieth Week, Col. 3:15. 

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to 
the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye 
thankful. 

The peace of God is given to us as a full blown flower 
from the garden of God; it is also given as seeds which 
we may grow for ourselves. There is a deep peace which 
Christ gives as a gift, and there is also a peace which 
becomes ours when we fulfill certain conditions in spiritual 
living. So that there is peace flowing from trust and peace 
flowing from obedience. This peace of God is to be the 
umpire of the inner life; it is to decide upon occasions of 
conflict. It is to quiet every uprising. The most dominant 
note in our inner life is to be peace, not strife. This is 
the divine will, that our lives shall have peace as the supreme 
influence. Is it so? Does the peace of God have the right 
of way in our inner life? 

Wednesday, Thirtieth Week, Col. 3:16. 

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all 
wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with 
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace 
in your hearts unto God. 

The word of Christ is continually seeking an entrance 
into our lives. He is always communicating something. We 
simply need to put ourselves in the attitude of listening. 
And the man who listens to Christ will have something to 
say to his fellows, and we in turn shall be glad to listen to 



EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS 143 



him who has first of all listened to Christ. And whoever 
listens to Christ will have something joyous to communi- 
cate. It will not be a dirge, it will be a hopeful message, 
and a hopeful message given in a joyous way. There is 
great joy in store for the listening soul, and that joy will 
raise us to being at our best to others. And yet so many 
of us do not listen to our Lord, we are hurrying hither and 
thither and listening to other voices which so often only 
sadden and confuse our minds. 

Thursday, Thirtieth Week, Col. 3:17. 

17 And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all 
in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God 
the Father through him. 

To do everything for Christ is the secret of a contented 
soul. To live with a low r er motive will mean not only dis- 
appointment, but the narrowing of personality. We may 
not be able to choose our tasks in life, but we certainly 
choose the motive by which we perform them, and when 
the motive is to do things for Christ, that is at once the 
transformation of the task, and the emancipation of the 
spirit. One is not then the slave of his work, but of his 
Lord, and that is a very different matter. It is then a nat- 
ural thing to give thanks to God. Thanksgiving follows as 
a consequence of doing everything for Christ; it rises in the 
soul without an effort like fragrance from a flower. The 
Christian servant works to please Christ, and by so doing 
is obedient and diligent, finding emancipation from small and 
petty motives in service, by being under the sway of the 
supreme motive. And when a life is under such a motive 
it is redeemed from drudger}^ 

Friday, Thirtieth Week, Col. 3:18-23. 

18 Wives, be in subjection to your husbands, as is 
fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and 
be not bitter against them. 20 Children, obey your 
parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing in the Lord. 
21 Fathers, provoke not your children, that they be not 
discouraged. 22 Servants, obey in all things them that 
are your masters according to the flesh; not with eye- 
service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fear- 
ing the Lord: 23 whatsoever ye do, work heartily as unto 



144 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



the Lord, and unto men; 

In family life the leadership rests with the husband, and 
it is the Christian duty of his wife to recognize it and to 
live in the spirit of it. But such leadership on the part of 
the husband is not for the carrying out of arbitrary meas- 
ures, he leads in order to serve. Unreasoning, high-handed 
leadership has no place in a Christian home. And when hus- 
bands and wives live in the Christian temper they are in a 
position to command the reverence of their children. Some- 
times the temptation to disobedience on the part of chil- 
dren springs from the lack of the Christian spirit in the 
parents; that, of course, does not excuse children from ren- 
dering obedience. On the other hand, if parents expect 
discipline in their children, they must themselves be an ex- 
ample in self-restraint. 

Saturday, Thirtieth Week, Col. 3:24-25. 

24 Knowing that from the Lord ye shall receive the 
recompense of the inheritance: ye serve the Lord Christ. 
25 For he that doeth wrong shall receive again for the 
wrong that he hath done: and there is no respect of 
persons. 

Whoever does his work for Christ will not fail of his 
reward. He has it in part already in the very act of doing 
his work for Christ; he has it in the peace, the expan- 
sion, the joy of his inner life. But he shall have yet more. 
He is moving towards all that God has in store for the 
obedient. But he who does wrong, be he master or ser- 
vant, will also receive the results of that wrong. He has 
in part received the wages of his sin already, in the con- 
traction of his inner life, the silencing of his joy, the dis- 
turbing message of conscience. And there is still more to 
follow, for the natural history of sin is more sin, and the 
inability to recover one's self. And these experiences are 
not arbitrary punishments of God towards certain individ- 
uals; they are the outworkings of God's law in a cosmic 
moral order. 

Sunday, Thirty-first Week Col. 4 :l-6. 

1 Masters, render unto your servants that which is just 
and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven. 



EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS m 



2 Continue stedfastly in prayer, watching therein with 
thanksgiving; 3 withal praying for us also, that God may 
open unto us a door for the word, to speak the mystery 
of Christ, for which I am also in bonds; 4 that I may 
make it manifest, as I ought to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom 
toward them that are without, redeeming the time. 6 Let 
your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, 
that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one. 

The Christian life is both devotional and practical ; it is 
interested in the Kingdom of God near and far away. It 
exerts an influence upon those who are within the fold and 
upon those who are outside. The Christian life is a uni- 
versal life; it is the most comprehensive life in the world. 
A Christian must bring his Christianity into the wages he 
pays. When he prays he must pray with mental concen- 
tration. He must pray for the coming of Christ's Kingdom 
in the remote places. He must remember to reveal Christ 
to those who do not know the Saviour. And his speech must 
always be such as mak-s for righteousness; it must always 
possess an antiseptic quality. 

Monday, Thirty-first Week, Col. 4:7-11. 

7 All my affairs shall Tychicus make known unto you, 
the beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow- 
servant in the Lord. 

8 Whom I have sent unto you for this very purpose, 
that ye may know our state, and that he may comfort 
your hearts; 9 together with Onesimus, the faithful and 
beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make 
known unto you all things that are done here. 

10 Aristarchus my fellow-prisoner saluteth you, and 
Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (touching whom ye received 
commandments; if he come unto you, receive him), 11 and 
Jesus that is called Justus, who are of the circumcision: 
they only are my fellow-workers unto the kingdom of 
God, men that have been a comfort unto me. 

Large interests, passionate enthusiasms, should not make 
us neglectful of our friends. St. Paul had a world-wide pro- 
gram, and the salvation of the souls of men lay on his 
heart, but he did not forget Onesimus, a faithful and be- 
loved brother. There is a great temptation today to be too 
busy to have friends, or if we have them, to be too busy to 
write to them, or to think of them. We have small duties 
and privileges as well as large ones. Friendships have obli- 



146 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



gations as well as work. Our obligations are from the 
center to the circumference of life; not from the circum- 
ference to as near the center as time will permit. It is 
concern for individuals that gives us the true interest in 
larger numbers. It is concern for detail which gives us poise 
for larger affairs. 

Tuesday, Thirty-first Week, Col. 4:12-15. 

12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ 
Jesus, saluteth you, always striving for you in his prayers, 
that ye may stand perfect and fully assured in all the 
will of God. 13 For I bear him witness, that he hath 
much labor for you, and for them in Laodicea, and for 
them in Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the beloved physician, and 
Demas salute you. 15 Salute the brethren that are in 
Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church that is in their 
house. 

How thoroughly sympathetic and human a man of large 
interests is when he is not only interested in obscure in- 
dividuals, but interested in their interest in mutual friends. 
St. Paul was such a man. In his letters he took time to 
write about people who were of interest to those to whom 
he wrote. That is what our friends miss so often in our 
letters. We do not satisfy their human interest in those 
whom they know and with whom we come in contact almost 
every day. There is a note of disappointment when they 
have finished reading our letter. "He says nothing of so and 
so/' our friend says to himself, "I wish he had told me 
something about him." 

Wednesday, Thirty-first Week, Col. 4:16-18. 

16 And when this epistle hath been read among you, 
cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans ; 
and that ye also read the epistle from Laodicea. 17 And 
say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou 
hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it. 

18 The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand. 
Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. 

Letter writing is in our day, to a large degree, a lost 
art. Letters that are worth keeping, worth reading to others 
for their edification, are very rare. And yet they might 
fulfil a most helpful mission. Letters breathing genuine 



EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS 147 



Christian experience, free from cant, would still be a great 
blessing to many hearts. From our own experience we all 
know how much we have prized the spiritual message that 
came from the heart of a friend at the time of crisis. We 
do not destroy such communications ; we have them among 
our treasures; we bring them out and re-read them, receiv- 
ing fresh encouragement. And why should such means of 
helpfulness be neglected? Let us resolve that we shall bring 
more help to our friends by our letters. 

Lord Jesus, I give myself to Thee, body, mind and soul, 
that I may be ivlled with Thy Holy Spirit so that I may be 
ready unto every good work, so that I may be the channel of 
all the grace and blessing Thou art prepared to manifest 
through me. 



SECTION VIII. 



Epistles to the Thessalonians 



Thursday, Thirty-first Week, I Thess. 1:1. 

1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the church of 
the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus 
Christ: Grace to you and peace. 

St. Paul wrote this his first recorded Epistle at Corinth. 
He, with Silvanus and Timotheus, had labored among the 
Jews and Greeks of Thessalonica for probably two or three 
months, and had succeeded in establishing a church. With 
great reluctance they left the city, it being thought wise by 
the local Christians that they should withdraw, owing to the 
persecution which had been stirred up by the unbelieving 
Jews. 

The apostle had been hindered in his purpose to revisit 
his converts. But he sent Timothy to encourage them and 
to get news of their spiritual condition, and the message 
which Timothy brought back relieved the mind and cheered 
the heart of the great man, 'for his children in the gospel 
had endured the trials of fierce persecution. His desire to 
see them was intensified andj as it was not possible for him 
to visit them at that time he wrote to them. And in be- 
ginning his letter he reveals his humility, his magnanimity, by 
the gracious recognition of Silvanus, and Timotheus, as his 
fellow-workers. 

The apostle's message was not addressed to some earnest 
people who were trying to do good work among the in- 
habitants of Thessalonica, it was addressed to those people 
who were "called out" from amid the pagan sophistries of 
their time to the recognition of God as their Father and to 
Jesus Christ as their Lord. That fact constituted them mem- 
bers of the Church. And as such the apostle saluted them, 



and 




EPISTLES TO THE T HESS A LONIA NS H9 



and as such they became the recipient of the grace of God, 
that is to say, of all that God had to give of spiritual 
blessing. And as they received into their lives the grace 
of God they experienced the peace of God, the sense of be- 
ing brought back into normal relations with themselves, with 
God, and with their fellowmen. 

Friday, Thirty-first Week, I Thess. 1:2-5. 

2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making 
mention of you in our prayers; 3 remembering without 
ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and pa- 
tience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God 
and Father; 4 knowing, brethren beloved of God, your 
election, 5 how that our gospel came not unto you in 
word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and 
in much assurance; even as ye know what manner of men 
we showed ourselves towards you for your sake. 

The thoughts of the apostle did not rest upon his own 
religious emotions, his Christian life was not self-centered, 
he was possessed by the problems in other lives, by the joys 
and sorrows of his converts. Their growth in grace filled 
his heart with gratitude to God. 

Free from the self-consciousness which blinds one to moral 
beauty of other lives, St. Paul had a fine discernment of 
the spiritual condition of his friends, he lived in admiration 
of the practical energy of their faith, the wealth of sympathy 
which inspired their service, and the supreme hope which 
kept their patience from breaking. 

The testimony of their lives was proof that the root of 
the matter was in them. 

And the secret of such magnificence of character was that 
the gospel of Christ came to them not merely as a system 
of thought, as a new set of ideas, but in the regenerating 
power of the Holy Spirit, whose presence in a life affects 
not only the mental outlook, but also the whole underlying 
personality. 

Saturday, Thirty-first Week, I Thess. 1 :6-10. 

6 And ye became imitators of us, and of the Lord, hav- 
ing received the word in much affliction, with joy of the 
Holy Spirit: 7 so that ye became an ensample to all that 
believe in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For from you 



ISO 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



hath sounded forth the word of the Lord, not only in 
Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith to 
God-ward is gone forth; so that we need not to speak 
anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us 
what manner of entering in we had unto you; and how 
ye turned unto God from idols, to serve a living and true 
God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he 
raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivereth us 
from the wrath to come. 

In their Christian character the Thessalonians were true 
to the law of conformity to type. They had in St. Paul 
and his fellow-workers genuine examples of Christ-possessed 
men, and they were consequently able to rise to the heroic 
appeal of such types. They were able to endure trial be- 
cause their teachers inspired them to it by the downright 
reality of their example. And thus the contagion of moral 
reality spread. Lives can only be inspired to sacrifice by sac- 
rificial example. And there is here a loud call for leaders 
in religious work to manifest the heroic elements in Chris- 
tian character if there is to be a normal type of Christian 
experience among the rank and file of believers. Theories 
can never inspire men to heroism in common life, and some 
of our Christian theories are so far ahead of our practice 
that they produce little effect upon public opinion and char- 
acter. 

But great sacrifices can only rise out of great and vivid 
spiritual convictions. The Thessalonian Christians had a 
supreme sense of the living and true God, they were freed 
from condemnation by a profound sense of divine forgive- 
ness, and they lived under the power of the coming glory 
and reign of the Lord Jesus. Such realities, made part of 
the working capital of a life, not only make sacrifices pos- 
sible, but give that life a message to all the world. 

Sunday, Thirty-second Week, I Thess. 2 :l-8. 

1 For yourselves, brethren, know our entering in unto 
you, that it hath not been found vain: 2 but having suf- 
fered before, and been shamefully entreated, as ye know, 
at Philippi, we waxed bold in our God to speak unto 
you the Gospel of God in much conflict. 3 For our ex- 
hortation is not of error, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: 
4 but even as we have been approved of God to be in- 
trusted with the gospel, so we speak; not as pleasing 
men, but God which proveth our hearts. 5 For neither 



EPISTLES TO THE T HESS A L ON I A NS 151 



at any time were we found using words of flattery, as ye 
know, nor a cloak of covetousness, God is witness; 6 nor 
seeking glory of men, neither from you, nor from others, 
when we might have claimed authority, as apostles of 
Christ. 7 But we were gentle in the midst of you, as 
when a nurse cherisheth her own children: 8 even so, 
being affectionately desirous of you, we were well pleased 
to impart unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also 
our own souls, because ye were become very dear to us. 

Some people on the outside, and perhaps one or two on 
the inside, of the church at Thessalonica had been circu- 
lating base rumors concerning the motives of the apostle 
in his work. But he assured the church as a whole that 
their confidence in him was not misplaced. He was well able 
to vindicate himself. He had a good conscience. He had 
made sacrifices, he had neither sought fame nor money. 
He had given himself absolutely to their service, soul and 
body. 

And every Christian worker must be able to say in his 
own sphere, and his own way, what St. Paul said, if occasion 
should arise for its being said. For while the worker him- 
self may not hear it, there are the same slanderous remarks 
uttered regarding his motives in service, but he has abso- 
lutely nothing to fear if he is honestly living in obedience 
to Christ and in the service of men. It is only the hypo- 
critical worker who may well trouble when criticism falls 
heavily upon him. 

Divine Master, may I so live in fellowship with Thy will, 
that when criticism shall fall upon me, I shall be humble yet 
unmoved, finding peace through the conviction that I zm 
faithful to the promptings of Thy Spirit. 

Monday, Thirty-second Week, I Thess. 2:9-13. 

9 For ye remember, brethren, our labor and travail: 
working night and day, that we might not burden any of 
you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. 10 Ye are 
witnesses, and God also, how holily and righteously and 
unblamably we behaved ourselves toward you that be- 
lieve: 11 as ye know how we dealt with each one of you, 
as a father with his own children, exhorting you, and 
encouraging you, and testifying, 12 to the end that ye 
should walk worthily of God, who calleth you into his 
own kingdom and glory. 

13 And for this cause we also thank God without ceas- 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



ing, that, when ye received from us the word of the mes- 
sage, even the word of God, ye accepted it not as the 
word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which 
also worketh in you that believe. 

The Christian worker must do more than he is paid for, 
more than men expect of him, for he is living under a 
more exacting regime than mere precedent or public senti- 
ment, he is the servant of the mind of Christ. And the mind 
of Christ urges the obedient soul to do what is beyond that 
which society expects of him. 

There is a spiritual ministry towards individuals which 
even Christian society scarcely expects from workers, and 
because it is not greatly expected it is sometimes not given, 
but the spirit is continually urging the obedient to render 
that service, to comfort, to exhort, to enlighten, individual 
lives. Because there is no public conscience upon certain 
forms of Christian service, there is a tendency for such 
service to become a lost art, to die out. But Christ looks 
to those who are conscious of the promptings of His Spirit 
to keep gifts, and forms of service, alive in His Church 
which are beyond conventional usage. 

Tuesday, Thirty-second Week, I Thess. 2:14-16. 

14 For ye, brethren, became imitators of the churches 
of God which are in Judaea in Christ Jesus: for ye also 
suffered the same things of your own countrymen, even 
as they did of the Jews; 15 who both killed the Lord 
Jesus and the prophets, and drove out us, and please not 
God, and are contrary to all men; 16 forbiding us to 
speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved; to fill up 
their sins always: but the wrath is come upon them to the 
uttermost. 

Churches imitate other churches; Christian workers imi- 
tate other Christian workers. How inspiring it is when 
what has been imitated has sounded out the true note, how 
disappointing when that which has been imitated is a false 
note. 

The Judean church gave the Thessalonian church the true 
note which was echoed through the land. The leaders and 
followers in the mother church lived in the heroic attitude, 
and the Thessalonian church followed in their train. 

Is our church, our work, our personality, leading others 
away from reality, or are others constantly being brought 



EPISTLES TO THE THESSALONIANS 15.3 



back to their true selves, their real mission, by our example? 
Or, as followers are we following those who strike true 
or false notes? Are our ideals helping us to find our truer, 
braver, our elemental selves, or are they suffocating the 
noblest in us, turning us into puppets, the playthings of our 
surroundings ? 

Wednesday, Thirty-second Week, I Thess. 2:17-20; 
3:1-6. 

17 But we, brethren, being bereaved of you for a short 
season, in presence, not in heart, endeavored the more 
exceedingly to see your face with great desire: 18 because 
we would fain have come unto you, I Paul once and again; 
and Satan hindered us. 19 For what is our hope, or joy, 
or crown of glorying? Are not even ye, before our Lord 
Jesus at his coming? 20 For ye are our glory and our 
joy. 

1 Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we 
thought it good to be left behind at Athens alone; 2 and 
sent Timothy, our brother and God's minister in the 
gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you 
concerning your faith; 3 that no man be moved by these 
afflictions; for yourselves know that hereunto we are ap- 
pointed. 4 For verily, when we were with you, we told 
you beforehand that we are to suffer affliction; even as 
it came to pass, and ye know. 5 For this cause I also, 
when I could no longer forbear, sent that I might know 
your faith, lest by any means the tempter had tempted 
you, and our labor should be in vain. 6 But when Tim- 
othy came even now unto us from you, and brought us 
glad tidings of your faith and love, and that ye have good 
remembrance of us always, longing to see us, even as we 
also to see you; 

St. Paul's wealth consisted in human souls. He spent his 
strength upon lives, while so many others spent their strength 
upon the acquisition of things, he therefore had imperish- 
able treasure. And because redeemed lives were his treas- 
ure, his heart was where his treasure was, and he showed 
all the instinctive concern for what was precious to him, 
that men manifest for what is valuable to them. His in- 
terest in lives he had helped was a source of joy and anxiety, 
it was that for which he was willing to make all kinds of 
sacrifices. But it was a satisfying investment. There was 
no disillusionment in connection with it, no tragic regrets 



154 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



in the evening of life. In what are we investing our life? 
Is it in the helping of human souls? Are we willing to put 
as much of ourselves into the investment as men do in the 
pursuit of gold? 

Thursday, Thirty-second Week, I Thess. 3 :7-13. 

7 For this cause, brethren, we were comforted over 
you in all our distress and affliction through your faith: 
8 for now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. 9 For 
what thanksgiving can we render again unto God for you, 
for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our 
God; 10 night and day praying exceedingly that we may 
see your face, and may perfect that which is lacking in 
your faith? 

11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord 
Jesus, direct our way unto you: 12 and the Lord make you 
to increase and abound in love one toward another, and 
toward all men, even as we also do toward you; 13 to the 
end he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness 
before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord 
Jesus with all his saints. 

Some men very soon discover the disappointing limita- 
tions of the earthly things for which they have spent their 
energies ; fame, money, or power, even when they get it, 
leaves so much of the hunger of the inner life unsatis- 
fied. But when we turn to a life like St. Paul's and see 
how in the midst of all the trouble of his career his inmost 
soul was comforted and sustained by what he had been able, 
by the grace of God, to do for others, we are face to face 
with an aim in life which really satisfies the human spirit, 
which sustains it in the dark hours of existence, which sum- 
mons its slumbering energies, and which keeps it in sym- 
pathetic contact with the world. 

Friday, Thirty-second Week, I Thess. 4:1-12. 

1 Finally then, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in 
the Lord Jesus, that, as ye received of us how ye ought 
to walk and to please God, even as ye do walk — that ye 
abound more and more. 2 For ye know what charge we 
grave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of 
God, even your sanctification, that ye abstain from forni- 
cation; 4 that each one of you know how to possess him- 
self of his own vessel in santification and honor; 5 not 



EPISTLES TO THE THE SSA L ON I A NS 



in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles which know 
not God; 6 that no man transgress, and wrong his brother 
in the matter: because the Lord is an avenger in all these 
things, as also we forewarned you and testified. 7 For 
God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification. 
8 Therefore he that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God, 
who giveth his Holy Spirit unto you. 

9 But concerning love of the brethren you have no need 
that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of 
God to love one another; 10 for indeed ye do it toward 
all the brethren which are in all Macedonia. But we 
exhort you, brethren, that ye abound more and more; 11 
and that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own busi- 
ness, and to work with your hands, even as we charged 
you; 12 that ye may walk honestly toward them that arc 
without, and may have need of nothing. 

Chastity was an absolute law of Christian life even for 
those who had just emerged from the vices of heathenism, 
and who were surrounded by no social conscience against 
impurity. Chastity was the will of God, it was a vital part 
of a sanctified life, it was an essential element in Christian 
self-respect. Not only was it imperative as a law of in- 
dividual life, it was a social law, a man not only owed it 
to himself to be pure, he owed it to his brother, to society. 
But not only was there the obligation to live a clean life, 
there was the further obligation to love one's fellows in- 
creasingly until it embraced the whole world. And if chas- 
tity was a law of life for the early Christians in communi- 
ties where there was no social conscience upon the subject, 
how much more imperative it is in this day when the law 
of Christ has become the law of society. And if a loving 
interest in all the world was laid upon the early Christians 
how much more should that loving interest spring up in us 
after all the noble examples of foreign missionary zeal 
through the ages, and the quickened interest of the Church 
in the proclamation of the gospel to the ends of the earth. 

Saturday, Thirty-second Week, I Thess. 4 :13-18. 

13 But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, con- 
cerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even aa 
the rest, which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that 
Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are 
fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For 
this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, 
shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep. 16 
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a 
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump 
of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 then we 
that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be 
caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and 
so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort 
one another with these words. 

Those who have died in Christ do not need our pity, for 
they are sharers in all the hopes of the gospel. That is 
plain enough to us, but it was not clear to the minds of the 
Thessalonian Christians. They were not quite certain 
whether the dead had a share in the triumph of the coming 
Lord. The apostle assured them that this great hope of 
believers was for those who are alive and dead, that the 
incident of death neither excluded Christians from fellow- 
ship with Christ at His coming, nor from one another. The 
great consummation points not to the separation of disciples 
of Christ, but to their eternal fellowship. And this hope of 
eternal fellowship with Christ, and with one another, un- 
defeated by death, is one of the sources of sustaining com- 
fort transfiguring Christian sorrow. 

Sunday, Thirty-third Week, I Thess. 5 :1-11. 

1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, 
ye have no need that aught be written unto you. 2 For 
yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so 
cometh as a thief in the night. 3 When they are saying, 
Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon 
them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall 
in no wise escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in dark- 
ness, that that day should overtake you as a thief: 5 for 
ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not 
of the night, nor of darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep, 
as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they 
that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are 
drunken in the night. 8 But let us, since we are of the 
day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; 
and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God ap- 
pointed us not unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of 
salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for 
us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together 
with him. 11 Wherefore exhort one another, and build 
each other up, even as also ye do. 



EPISTLES TO THE T HESS A EON I A NS 157 



The day of the Lord means the day of the perfect mani- 
festation of the Lord, the day of the final deliverance of 
the people of God. That day has been their hope, their ex- 
pectation, through the ages. And some have set the time 
of its coming, they have set the date. But the message of 
Scripture is that it is unknown, that it will be sudden. That 
day appeals not to an ingenious curiosity in us to discover 
the time of its coming, but to a spirit of expectancy, of de- 
tachment from the pride of the world. The coming of the 
day of the Lord is a fact calling for sleepless moral vigi- 
lance, for appropriating all the grace that is in Christ for 
our use. That blessed hope should stir and inspire life to 
its center. Such an anchor is strong enough to hold the 
ship of life amid the storms of this mortal experience. 

Divine Master, may the hope of being forever with Thee 
never weaken my interest in common life, may it never shut 
my eyes to my duties at home ; but may it rather renew my 
relation to the world in which I live, giving me purer mo- 
tives, happier spirit, and abiding fidelity. 

Monday, Thirty-third Week, I Thess. 5 :12-28. 

12 But we beseech you, brethren, to know them that 
labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and ad- 
monish you; 13 and to esteem them exceeding highly in 
love for their work's sake. Be at peace among your- 
selves. 14 And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the dis- 
orderly, encourage the faint-hearted, support the weak, be 
long-suftering toward all. 15 See that none render unto 
any one evil for evil; but always follow after that which is 
good, one toward another; and toward all. 16 Rejoice 
always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give 
thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you- 
ward. 19 Quench not the Spirit; 20 despise not prophesy- 
ings; 21 prove all things; hold fast that which is good; 22 
abstain from every form of evil. 

23 And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; 
and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved en- 
tire, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. 24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also 
do it. 

25 Brethren, pray for us. 

26 Salute all the brethren with a holy kiss. 27 I adjure 
you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the 
brethren. 

28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, 



158 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



Because a Christian has a glorious hope in the future, 
that fact must not obscure present sacred human relation- 
ships, present obligations, present submission to authority. 
There has always been a temptation for some to pervert the 
gospel, to profess heavenly-mindedness, and neglect plain 
duties. The purpose behind the glorious hopes with which 
Christ inspires the Christian soul is not to allow him to 
ignore life's common tasks, but to bind him to them with a 
purified motive, a new intelligence, an undiscouraged zeal, 
and holy sympathy. 

The blessed hope in the soul enables a man to see that 
he can afford to return good for evil. It makes it possible 
for him to rejoice evermore. His prayers are not then 
mechanical, they are instructive. He can then see reason for 
thanksgiving in all his experiences. 

Tuesday, Thirty-third Week, II Thess. 1 :1-12. 

1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the church of 
the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus 
Christ; 2 Grace to you and peace from God the Father 
and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

3 We are bound to give thanks to God always for you, 
brethren, even as it is meet, for that your faith groweth 
exceedingly, and the love of each one of you all toward 
one another aboundeth; 4 so that we ourselves glory in 
you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in 
all your persecutions and in the afflictions which ye en- 
dure; 5 which is a manifest token of the righteous judg- 
ment of God; to the end that ye may be counted worthy 
of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: 6 if so be 
that it is a righteous thing with God to recompense 
affliction to them that afflict you, 7 and to you that are 
afflicted rest with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus 
from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire, 
8 rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to 
them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus: 9 who 
shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the 
face of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when 
he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be mar- 
velled at in all them that believed (because our testi- 
mony unto you was believed) in that day. 11 To which 
end we also pray always for you, that our God may count 
you worthy of your calling, and fulfil every desire of good- 
ness and every work of faith, with power; 12 that the 
name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and ye 
in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord 



EPISTLES TO THE TH ESS A L ONI A MS 159 



Jesus Christ. 

St. Paul always begins his epistles by emphasizing the 
spiritual point of contact between himself and his converts, 
and their common relation to God through Christ. 

While this epistle was evidently written mainly to cor- 
rect error into which some had fallen, the apostle did not 
fail to recognize all that was gracious and Christlike in 
the Christian experience of his friends. They were grow- 
ing in faith and love. They were patient in tribulation. 
Their behavior in trial was making their living relation to 
Christ more and more evident, while those who were per- 
secuting them were becoming less and less conscious of God, 
and hastening the atrophy of their inner life. It is evidence 
of a fine discernment, and of true sympathy and self-control 
when one can leisurely approach another's apparent faults 
and mistakes along the avenue of honest appreciation and 
admiration. The rapidity with which we strike at the faults 
and mistakes of others is sometimes a revelation of our lack 
of true discernment of character, and a lack of self-control. 

Wednesday, Thirty-third Week, II Thess. 2 :1-12. 

1 Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together 
unto him; 2 to the end that ye be not quickly shaken 
from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or 
by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the 
Lord is just at hand; 3 let no man beguile you in any 
wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, 
and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, 4 
he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is 
called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in 
the temple of God, setting himself forth as God. 5 Re- 
member ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you 
these things? 6 And now ye know that which restrain- 
ed, to the end that he may be revealed in his own sea- 
son. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness doth already 
work: only there is one that restraineth now, until he 
be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall be revealed 
the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the 
breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifes- 
tation of his coming; 9 even he, whose coming is accord- 
ing to the working of Satan with all power and signs 
and lying wonders, 10 and with all deceit of unrighteous- 
ness for them that perish; because they received 
not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 



i6o PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 

And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, 
that they should believe a lie: 12 that they all might be 
judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in 
unrighteousness. 

St. Paul had intended his teaching regarding the coming 
of Christ to be an inspiration to the Thessalonians, but, in- 
stead, some of them were being led astray by false conclu- 
sions from his teaching. They were giving way to fanatical 
excitement. They were failing to keep in touch with the 
realities of life. And the apostle showed them that there 
would be dark days before the great consummation, there 
would be a falling away under the leadership of a mysterious 
hostile power. 

The glorious coming realities of the Kingdom of Heaven 
must never shut out from our eyes the common facts of a 
sinful world. They may not be agreeable, but it is through 
bravely facing them, endeavoring to deal with them, that 
we are made ready for all that Christ has in store for us. 
Excitement, emotionalism, fanaticism, are no preparation for 
the solemn realities of the future. It is character developed 
by living soberly for God in a hard place which is the 
essential prelude for what is coming. 

Thursday, Thirty-third Week, II Thess. 2:13-17. 

13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for 
you, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that God chose 
you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification 
of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14 whereunto he 
called you through our gospel, to the obtaining of the 
glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brethren, 
stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye were taught, 
whether by word, or by epistle of ours. 

16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our 
Father who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and 
good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and 
stablish them in every good work and word. 

Christian character is something vastly different from self- 
culture. It has its origin in the grace of God and the 
energy of the divine Spirit. Christian character is first of 
all a spiritual deposit in the soul. And consequently when 
we see it expressed in the outward lives of good people 
we. must bear in mind that it is something for which we are 
bound to give thanks to God. He made it possible. And 



EPISTLES TO THE T HESS A L ONI A NS 161 



just as we trace the fruits of the earth back to our heavenly 
Father's love when we receive them at the table day by day, 
so should we also trace back the beauty, the sacrifice, the 
courage in Christians' lives to the same source. Too often 
we praise and compliment individuals without offering thanks- 
giving to God for the fruits of Christian character in true 
lives. And that very recognition of God as we see His 
grace triumphant in lives is a sacrament of blessing to our 
own souls. 

Friday, Thirty-third Week, II Thess. 3:1-5. 

1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the 
Lord may run and be glorified, even as also it is with 
you; 2 and that we may be delivered from unreasonable 
and evil men; for all have not faith. 3 But the Lord 
is faithful, who shall stablish you, and guard you from 
the evil one. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord 
touching you, that ye both do and will do the things 
which we command. 5 And the Lord direct your hearts 
into the love of God, and into the patience of Christ. 

When St. Paul asked the Thessalonians to pray for him 
it was not a self-centered request, he asked them to pray 
for his usefulness, for the effectiveness of his message. 
He was not thinking of his own soul, he was thinking of 
efficient service. 

And in asking his friends to pray for his work, consciously 
or unconsciously he was getting their minds away from 
themselves, away from their own morbid feelings and moods 
out into large interests, and in that attitude they obtained 
unconsciously their highest spiritual development. 

It is most unhealthy for a Christian to spend all or most 
of his time in prayer praying for himself. It may simply 
deepen his self-consciousness, his self-centered bearing. But 
when he prays for others, for the great work of evangeliz- 
ation out in the world, in that very act he is deepening the 
life of his own soul. 

Divine Master, save me from self -consciousness in my 
spiritual life, May I bravely face the great tasks of evan- 
gelization in my prayers, and in this attitude of self-forget- 
ting may I trust Thee to nourish my soul. 

Saturday, Thirty-third Week, II Thess. 3 :6-18. 

6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the 
tradition which they received o£ us. 7 For yourselves 
know how ye ought to imitate us: for we behaved not 
ourselves disorderly among you; 8 neither did we eat 
bread for nought at any man's hand, but in labor and 
travail, working night and day, that we might not burden 
any of you: 9 not because we have not the right, but to 
make ourselves an ensample unto you, that ye should 
imitate us. 10 For even when we were with you, this 
we commanded you, If any will not work, neither let him 
eat. 11 For we hear of some that walk among you dis- 
orderly, that work not at all, but are busybodies t 12 
Now them that are such we command and exhort in the 
Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat 
their own bread. 13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in 
well-doing. 14 And if any man obeyeth not our word 
by this epistle, note that man, that ye have no company 
with him, to the end that he may be ashamed. 15 And 
yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a 
brother. 

16 Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all 
times in all ways. The Lord be with you all. 

17 The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand, 
which is the token in every epistle: so I write. 18 The 
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. 

The idler cannot grow in grace, because work is the soil 
out of which growth comes. 

And it is a bad thing to be associated with idlers, because 
they have lost the point of contact with reality, they are 
always raising false issues, besides they carry a depressing 
atmosphere. 

The idler is quite likely to be at the same time a busy- 
body, a meddler with other people's affairs; a busy man is 
in no mood for such work. An exaggerated interference with 
other men's business must inevitably mean a relaxed concern 
for our own. And w r hen the mind has ceased to have a keen 
sense of duty it has failed to keep step with the Spirit of 
God, for the Spirit is continually emphasizing duty, the next 
duty, cencentration of the next thought upon the next duty. 

Sunday, Thirty-fourth Week, I Timothy 1 :l-7. 

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the 
commandment of God our Saviour, and Christ Jesus our 
hope; 2 unto Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, 
mercy, peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our 



EPISTLES TO TIMOTHY 



Lord. 

3 As I exhorted thee to tarry at Ephesus, when I was 
going into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge certain 
men not to teach a different doctrine, 4 neither to give 
heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister 
questionings, rather than a dispensation of God which is 
in faith; so do I now. 5 But the end of the charge is 
love out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith 
unfeigned: 6 from which things some having swerved 
have turned aside unto vain talking; 7 desiring to be 
teachers of the law, though they understand neither what 
they say, nor whereof they confidently affirm. 

St. Paul made much of friendship, and to none was he 
more closely bound than to Timothy, but even in his cor- 
respondence with his dearest friend the work of Christ had 
the supreme place. 

The apostle insisted that Timothy should urge upon the 
Christian workers with whom he came in contact that they 
must remember the places of emphasis in Christian teaching. 
The end to be reached in teaching Christianity was not a 
mere show of learning, nor the discussion of irrelevant matter 
which only bred fruitless argument, but which had no practical 
bearing upon conduct. The message to be preached was faith 
resulting in a good conscience, a pure heart, and loving 
service. 

And there is still great need for us to bear in mind the vital 
places of emphasis in Christian teaching. A great deal of 
confusion and unnecessary discussion is caused by a lack of 
real understanding as to what the heart of Christianity really 
is. 

Divine Master, teach me to discover from Thy Word, and 
the experience of its power in my own soul, what is the heart 
of Thy gospel. Deliver me from all false emphasis, all need- 
less controversy, and thus help to bring in the day of true 
Christian unity. 

Monday, Thirty-fourth Week, I Timothy 1 :8-20. 

8 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it 
lawfully, 9 as knowing this, that law is not made for a 
righteous man, but for the lawless and unruly, for the un- 
godly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for mur- 
derers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for man- 
slayers, 10 for fornicators, for abusers of themselves 
with men, for men-stealers, for liars, for false swearers. 



164 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



and if there be any other thing contrary to the sound 
doctrine; .11 according to the gospel of the glory of the 
blessed God, which was committed to my trust. 

12 I thank him that enabled me, even Christ Jesus our 
Lord, for that he counted me faithful, appointing me to 
his service; 13 though I was before a blasphemer, and a 
persecutor, and injurious: howbeit I obtained mercy, be- 
cause I did it ignorantly in unbelief; 14 and the grace of 
our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which 
is in Christ Jesus. 15 Faithful is the saying, and worthy 
of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world 
to save sinners; of whom I am chief: 16 howbeit for this 
cause I obtained mercy, that in me as chief might Jesus 
Christ shew forth all his longsuffering, for an ensample 
of them that should hereafter believe on him unto eter- 
nal life. 1? Now unto the King eternal, immortal, in- 
visible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and 
ever. Amen. 

18 This charge I commit unto thee, my child Timothy, 
according to the prophecies which led the way to thee, 
that by them thou mayest v/ar the good warfare; 19 
holding faith and a good conscience; which some having 
thrust from them made shipwreck concerning the faith: 
20 of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I de- 
livered unto Satan, that they might be taught not to 
blaspheme. 

It is certainly a false emphasis to preach the Mosaic law 
to those who have become partakers of the grace of God 
in Christ, that is to go back to the partial revelation of Old 
Testament times. The law is for those who have not yet 
been morally awakened to a sense of the need of Divine for- 
giveness. But when that sense of need has been aroused 
then are lives ready for the message of Christ. And when 
the message of Christ has been received by faith into peni- 
tent hearts, then is the opportunity for the indwelling Spirit 
of God to show forth in human character the mind of Christ. 
So that the gospel is both spiritual and ethical ; it demands 
faith and it makes a good conscience possible. When a pro- 
fessing Christian lets go one or other of these he, to use St. 
Paul's phrase, makes shipwreck. And it is sometimes not 
until some severe trouble comes that he returns to a life of 
trust and obedience. 

Tuesday, Thirty-fourth Week, I Timothy 2:1-8. 

1 I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, 
prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all 



EPISTLES TO TIMOTHY 



men; 2 for kings and all that are in high place; that we 
may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and 
gravity. 3 This is good and acceptible in the sight of 
God our Saviour; 4 who would have all men to be 
saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For 
there is one God, one mediator also between God and 
men, himself man, Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself a 
ransom for all; the testimony to be borne in its own 
times; 7 whereunto I was appointed a preacher and an 
apostle (I speak the truth, I lie not), a teacher of the 
Gentiles in faith and truth. 

8 I desire therefore that the men pray in every place, 
lifting up holy hands, without wrath and disputing. 

The practice of Christianity is not merely an individual 
matter. It is that first and foremost, but a Christian, and 
companies of Christians, must also have a world vision. A 
real Christian is the only real cosmopolitan in the world, 
for he has a genuine, vital, intelligent interest in governments 
and all races of people. 

His interest in the large affairs of the Kingdom of God 
is not an optional matter, it is simply according to the law 
of conformity to type ; it is according to a divine instinct in 
the normal growth of a healthy Christian soul. And that 
large interest should express itself in intercessory prayer 
for rulers, for public men, for leaders of public opinion. And 
m order to do that there must be some intelligent knowledge 
of the affairs of the world. That calls for hard thinking, 
and it gives little time for mere mental loafing. 

Wednesday, Thirty-fourth Week, I Timothy 2:9-15. 

9 In like manner, that women adorn themselves in mod- 
est apparel, with shamefastness and sobriety; not with 
braided hair, and gold or pearls or costly raiment; 10 
but (which becometh women professing godliness) 
through good works. 11 Let a woman learn in quietness 
with all subjection. 12 But I permit not a woman to 
teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in 
quietness. 13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve; 14 
and Adam was not beguiled, but the woman being be- 
guiled hath fallen into transgression: 15 but she shall be 
saved through her child-bearing, if they continue in faith 
and love and sanctification with sobriety. 

When the Christianity of the first century drew men and 
women out of heathenism, we must remember that there 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



were local conditions which the apostle had in mind when 
he gave certain specific directions, which have little or no 
bearing upon our modern life, just as certain directions may 
be given to women in heathen lands when they embrace 
Christianity, which would have no significance in a Christian 
country. But at the same time the spirit of St. Paul's mes- 
sage remains for all time. Ostentatious display, aggressive- 
ness, haughty bearing, have no place in a true Christian 
woman's life. Her power consists in that strength and charm 
which are the outward expression of the beauty of holiness. 

Thursday, Thirty-fourth Week, I Timothy 3 :1-16. 

1 Faithful is the saying, If a man seeketh the office 
of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2 The bishop 
therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one 
wife, temperate, soberminded, orderly, given to hospital- 
ity, apt to teach; 3 no brawler, no striker; but gentle, 
not contentious, no lover of money; 4 one that ruleth 
well his own house, having his children in subjection with 
all gravity; 5 (but if a man knoweth not how to rule his 
own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 
6 not a novice, lest being puffed up he fall into the con- 
demnation of the devil. 7 Moreover he must have good 
testimony from them that are without; lest he fall into 
reproach and the snare of the devil. 8 Deacons in like 
manner must be grave, not doubletongued, not given to 
much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; 9 holding the 
mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. 10 And let 
these also first be proved; then let them serve as deacons, 
if they be blameless. 11 Women in like manner must be 
grave, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 
12 Let deacons be husbands of one wife, ruling their 
children and their own houses well. 13 For they that 
have served well as deacons gain to themselves a good 
standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in 
Christ Jesus. 

14 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come 
unto thee shortly; 15 but if I tarry long, that thou may- 
est know how men ought to behave themselves in the 
house of God, which is the church of the living God, the 
pillar and ground of the truth. 16 And without contro- 
versy great is the mystery of godliness; 
He who was manifested in the flesh, 
Justified in the spirit, 
Seen of Angels, 



EPISTLES TO TIMOTHY 



167 



Preached among the nations, 
Believed on in the world, 
Received up in glory. 

The man who is a leader in the work of the Church of 
Christ must be without reproach. He must be straight in all his 
behavior, and above all suspicion of merely working for money. 
His domestic life must be such as to commend the gospel; 
Christianity must be the main fact in the home circle. And 
gossip must have no more place among the members of his 
household than intemperance in his own life. It is not 
enough that the sins which are condemned by society should 
be shunned, but also those which society may condone, be- 
cause it is not sufficiently under the control of the divine 
Spirit. The leader in Christian work is supposed to lead 
society to higher conceptions of life, but that is imposible 
unless his own life and those associated with him at home are 
striving together to humbly live beyond a merely conventional 
morality. 

Divine Master, before I seek to teach others may my own 
life bow in contrite submission to the message of Thy Spirit. 
Forbid that I should be content zvith the easy judgments of 
society upon my character. Keep me ever in the attitude of 
keeping my soul before Thy judgment seat. 

Friday, Thirty-fourth Week, I Timothy 4:1-16. 

1 But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times 
some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to se- 
ducing spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 through the 
hypocrisy of men that speak lies, branded in their own 
conscience as with a hot iron; 3 forbidding to marry, 
and commanding to abstain from meats, which God cre- 
ated to be received with thanksgiving by them that be- 
lieve and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God 
is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it be received 
with thanksgiving: 5 for it is sanctified through the 
word of God and prayer. 

6 If thou put the brethren in mind of these things, 
thou shalt be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished 
in the words of the faith, and of the good doctrine which 
thou hast followed until now: 7 but refuse profane and 
old wives' fables. And exercise thyself unto godliness: 
8 for bodily exercise is profitable for a little; but godli- 
ness is profitable for all things, having promise of the 
life which now is, and of that which is to come. 9 Faith- 



168 PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



ful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptation. 10 For 
to this end we labor and strive, because we have our 
hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, 
specially of them that believe. 11 These things command 
and teach. 12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be 
thou an ensample to them that believe, in word, in manner 
of life, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Till I come, give 
heed to reading, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Neglect 
not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by 
prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presby- 
tery. 15. Be diligent in these things; give thyself wholly 
to them; that thy progress may be manifest unto all. 16 
Take heed to thyself, and to thy teaching. Continue in 
these things; for in doing this thou shalt save both thy- 
self and them that hear thee. 

When the individual conscience is seared, callous, numb, 
that life has no protection from all kinds of false ideas, 
for it lacks that intuitive sense which instantly detects what 
does not ring true. And there has always been, and there 
is now, the proclamation of false gospels by those who have 
thus beat a moral retreat in their own character. The safe- 
guard against surrender to plausible half truths is in keeping 
close to the verities of the Christian faith in heart and mind. 

It is dangerous to try to approach the experiences of the 
spiritual life through merely taking care of the body. The 
Bible does not by any means discourage taking care of the 
body, it says "bodily exercise is profitable for a little," it does 
good. But the point of the passage is that the place of em- 
phasis in the growth of human personality is not on the 
physical side but on the spiritual side. And the culture of 
the spiritual side of life does not at all mean that the physical 
should in any sense be ignored. But to try to reach up to 
spirituality through merely trying to keep the body in good 
condition, without keeping in touch with the facts of Christian 
faith, is a vain delusion. 

Saturday, ThirtTZ-fourth Week, I Timothy 5:1-8. 

1 Rebuke not an elder, but exhort him as a father; the 
younger men as brethren: 2 the elder woman as moth- 
ers; the younger as sisters, in all purity. 3 Honor wid- 
ows that are widows indeed. 4 But if any widow hath 
children or grandchildren, let them learn first to shew 
piety towards their own family, and to requite their par- 
ents; for this is acceptible in the sight of God. 5 Now 



EPISTLES TO TIMOTHY 



she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, hath her hope 
set on God, and continueth in supplications and prayers 
night and day. 6 But she that giveth herself to pleasure 
is dead while she liveth. 7 These things also command, 
that they may be without reproach. 8 But if any pro- 
videth not for his own, and specially his own household, 
he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever. 

Christ is continually endeavoring to make the man who is 
living under His sway a true gentleman, in the highest sense 
of that much-abused word. The younger man who is a 
Christian will not be harsh towards an older man, and he 
will treat elderly women with gracious consideration. His 
bearing towards young women will have the same element 
of purity as his bearing towards his own sister. He will count 
it part of his religion to provide for those of his own family 
who are in need. We dare not forget that the Christian life 
has to do with the most practical and with what some are 
pleased to call the most trifling affairs. But it is no trifling 
affair to let the Spirit of Christ permeate the details of our 
bearing towards everybody. 

Divine Master, I would not forget that Thou art seeking 
to take hold of my life so that it may convey Thy Spirit 
to all with whom I come in contact. Keep me from misrep- 
resenting Thee by yielding to hurry, impatience, harshness, 
and thoughtlessness. 

Sunday, Thirty-fifth Week, I Timothy 5 :9-16. 

9 Let none be enrolled as a widow under threescore 
years old, having been the wife of one man, 10 well re- 
ported of for good works; if she hath brought up chil- 
dren, if she hath used hospitality to strangers, if she hath 
washed the saints' feet, if she hath relieved the afflicted, 
if she hath diligently followed every good work. 11 But 
younger widows refuse: for when they have waxed wan- 
ton against Christ, they desire to marry; 12 having con- 
demnation, because they have rejected their first pledge. 

13 And withal they learn also to be idle, going about 
from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also 
and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. 

14 I desire therefore that the younger widows marry, 
bear children, rule the household, give none occasion to 
the adversary for reviling: 15 for already some are 
turned aside after Satan. 16 If any woman that believ- 
eth hath widows, let her relieve them, and let not the 



i ;o 



PAUL IM EVERYDAY LIVE 



church be burdened; that it may relieve them that are 
widows indeed. 

When a woman has been bereft of her husband she is 
placed in a more difficult and delicate relation to society, 
and that fact must make her especially careful that in 
all her relations to the church and to the world she will 
not injure the cause of Christ through the peculiar temp- 
tations of her position. 

And according to the apostle's counsel to Timothy, the 
leader in Christian work must also bear in mind the peculiar 
temptations of such a bereaved woman's lot in life. He 
must see to it that neither the woman nor the holy cause 
suffer because of the difficulties of the situation. He must re- 
pulse unwise offers of service, and at the same time give 
honor to those whose sorrow is fragrant with renewed 
consecration. 

Monday, Thirty-fifth Week, I Timothy 5:17-25. 

17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of 
double honor, especially those who labor in the word 
and in teaching. 18 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt 
not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. And, 
The laborer is worthy of his hire. 19 Against an elder 
receive not an accusation, except at the mouth o£ two or 
three witnesses. 20 Them that sin reprove in the sight 
of all, that the rest also may be in fear. 21 I charge thee 
in the sight of God, and Christ Jesus, and the elect angels, 
that thou observe these things without prejudice, doing 
nothing by partiality. 22 Lay hands hastily on no man, 
neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure. 
23 Be no longer a drinker of water, but use a little wine 
for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities. 24 
Some men's sins are evident, going before unto judg- 
ment; and some men also they follow after. 25 In like 
manner also there are good works that are evident; and 
such as are otherwise cannot be hid. 

The leader in the work of the Church is here exhorted 
to have a keen eye to recognize with honor signal ability 
in the exercise of preaching- gifts. And he must not be 
hasty in listening to accusations against a worker. There 
must be witnesses. Mere gossip is to have no quarter. 

There is to be no favoritism. Personal likes and dislikes 
must be sunk in the honest attempt to get the right worker 



EPISTLES TO TIMOTHY 



171 



for the right work. And there is to be no mere acting upon 
impulse in dealing with men ; what is done must be done in 
a spirit of calm deliberation and self-control. And in order 
to help the Christian leader to do all that, with strong com- 
mon sense, the apostle tells Timothy to keep his digestion 
right, he must not succumb to dyspepsia. Amd I suppose he 
recommended wine because there were very few other things 
at that time to suggest. But in our day there are so many 
other things much better than wine for the relief of the 
dyspeptic. 

Tuesday, Thirty-fifth Week, I Timothy 6 :1-1L 

I Let as many as are servants under the yoke count 
their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name 
of God and the doctrine be not blasphemed. 2 And they 
that have believing masters, let them not despise them, 
because they are brethren; but let them serve them the 
rather, because they that partake of the benefit are be- 
lieving and beloved. These things teach and exhort. 

3 If any man teacheth a different doctrine, and con- 
senteth not to sound words, even the words of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to 
godliness; 4 he is puffed up, knowing nothing, but doting 
about questionings and disputes of words, whereof cometh 
envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 5 wranglings of 
men corrupted in mind and bereft of the truth, supposing 
that godliness is a way of gain. 6 But godliness with 
contentment is great gain: 7 for we brought nothing into 
the world, for neither can we carry anything out; 8 but 
having food and covering we shall be therewith content. 
9 But they that are minded to be rich fall into temptation 
and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as 
drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love 
of money in a root of all kinds of evil: which some reach- 
ing after have been led astray from the faith, and have 
pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 

II But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and fol- 
low after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, 
meekness. 

Christian men may live under a social system which is 
far from Christian, but the teaching of the passage is that 
they must manifest the Christian spirit even in such cir- 
cumstances. The retention of the Christian spirit in the 
midst of deferred hopes is of more consequence than the 
achievement of ends through the violation of the Christian 



1/2 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



spirit. One may become a personal failure in the gaining 
of outward success. While one may be a personal success 
in circumstances which seem to spell failure. All real failure 
begins in inner bankruptcy, and all real success consists in 
inner integrity. And these conditions are so often the re- 
versal of human judgments upon life. 

Wednesday, Thirty-fifth Week, I Timothy 6 :12-21. 

12 Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life 
eternal, whereunto thou wast called, and didst confess the 
good confession in the sight of many witnesses. 13 I 
charge thee in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, 
and of Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed 
the good confession; 14 that thou keep the commandment, 
without spot, without reproach, until the appearing of our 
Lord Jesus Christ: 15 which in its own times he shall 
shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of 
kings, and Lord of lords; 16 who only hath immortality, 
dwelling in light unapproachable; whom no man hath 
seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power eternal. 
Amen. 

17 Charge them that are rich in this present world, that 
they be not highminded, nor have their hope set on the 
uncertainty of riches, but on God, who giveth us richly 
all things to enjoy; 18 that they do good, that they be 
rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, willing 
to communicate; 19 laying up in store for themselves a 
good foundation against the time to come, that they may 
lay hold on the life which is life indeed. 

20 O Timothy, guard that which is committed unto thee, 
turning away from the profane babblings and oppositions 
of the knowledge which is falsely so called; 21 which 
some professing have erred concerning the faith. 

Grace be with you. 

When a Christian surrenders to worldly ideals, which may 
be popular enough, he violates the whole purpose of his life. 
He is here to renew, to spiritualize, the ideals of human 
society, to lay the emphasis upon character rather than upon 
this world's goods. And in order to do this he must fight. 
It is no child's game. It calls for the most masculine, the 
most heroic, determination. W e have glorified the man who 
was willing to die on the battlefield for the honor of his 
country. We should also have a place of high honor for 
the man who is willing to lose his life on the business or 
professional battlefield, if need be, in order to vindicate the 



EPISTLES TO TIMOTHY 



i73 



honor of Christ and of his own soul. 

Divine Master, may I so drink of Thy Spirit that I shall 
become a true soldier on the battlefield of principle. When 
I seem to fail because I endeavor to be true, keep me from 
panic and from flight. 

Thursday, Thirty-fifth Week, II Timothy 1 :1-11. 

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, 
according to the promise of the life which is in Christ 
Jesus, 2 to Timothy, my beloved child: grace, mercy, 
peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 

3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers in a 
pure conscience, how unceasing is my remembrance of 
thee in my supplications, night and day, 4 longing to see 
thee, remembering thy tears, that I may be filled with 
joy; 5 having been reminded of the unfeigned faith that 
is in thee; which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, 
and thy mother Eunice; and, I am persuaded, in thee 
also. 6 For which cause I put thee in remembrance 
that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee through 
the laying on of my hands. 7 For God gave us not a 
spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline. 
8 Be not ashamed therefore of the testimony of our Lord, 
nor of me his prisoner: but suffer hardship with the 
gospel according to the power of God; 9 who saved us, 
and called us with a holy calling, not according to our 
works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which 
was given us in Christ Jesus before times eternal, 10 but 
hath now been manifested by the appearing of our 
Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought 
life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 
whereunto I was appointed a preacher, and an apostle, 
and a teacher. 

A Christian man of long experience can render signal 
service to the cause of Christ by passing on to a younger 
man, who is teachable, the secrets of his Christian career. 
To patiently help mould the character of a promising youth 
is a really great service. And happy is that youth who, like 
Timothy, comes under the guiding influence of a great per- 
sonality. If a young man has not the good fortune to be 
under the direct influence of some great soul, it is a wise 
course for him to put himself under the spell of a great 
Christian as he is revealed in biography, or letters. Frederick 
W. Robertson has been such a man to many younger men. 
There is a very real temptation in the lives of some young 



174 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



people to treat the message and influence of the older Chris- 
tian with something like mild contempt rather than as a 
sacred privilege, and then to live to see the day when he must 
bitterly regret the attitude of neglect. 

Friday, Thirty-fifth Week, II Timothy 1 :12-18. 

12 For which cause I suffer also these things: yet 
I am not ashamed; for I know him whom I have be- 
lieved, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that 
which I have committed unto him against that day. 13 
Hold the pattern of sound words which thou hast heard 
from me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 14 
That good thing which was committed unto thee guard 
through the Holy Spirit which dwelleth in us. 

15 This thou knowest, that all that are in Asia turned 
away from me; of whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. 

16 The Lord grant mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus: 
for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; 

17 but, when he was in Rome, he sought me diligently, 
and found me; 18 (the Lord grant unto him to find mercy 
of the Lord in that day) ; and in how many things he 
ministered at Ephesus, thou knowest very well. 

Strong conviction is the armor which makes a Christian 
proof against being ashamed of his stand for Christ. And 
when one is living in surroundings which are hostile to vital 
Christianity conviction born of personal experience is abso- 
lutely necessary. Formal Christian belief may seen to be 
enough when one is at home in the midst of congenial in- 
fluences, but when a young man goes out into the world 
where all his beliefs are questioned and perhaps ridiculed, 
it all depends upon whether he has an experimental grip of 
his beliefs as to whether he can retain them. It is a great 
thing for a youth before he goes out into the world to get 
an experimental grounding in essential Christianity at home, 
and parents must not wholly blame those children who having 
received only formal instruction at home lose it out in the 
larger world. 

Saturday, Thirty-fifth Week, II Timothy 2 :1-10. 

1 Thou therefore, my child, be strengthened in the 
grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things which 
thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, the same 
commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach 



EPISTLES TO TIMOTHY 



others also. 3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier 
of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier on service entangleth him- 
self in the affairs of this life; that he may please him 
who enrolled him as a soldier. 5 And if also a man con- 
tend in the games, he is not crowned, except he have 
contended lawfully. 6 The husbandman that laboreth 
must be the first to partake of the fruits. 7 Consider what 
I say; for the Lord shall give thee understanding in all 
things. 8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, 
of the seed of David, according to my gospel: 9 wherein 
I suffer hardship unto bonds, as a malefactor; but the 
word of God is not bound. 10 Therefore I endure all 
things for the elect's sake, that they also may obtain the 
salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 

The secret of Christian heroism is not merely the exercise 
of grim resolution, it is found in a continual fellowship with 
the love, and forgiveness, and strength of God through Christ. 
Fellowship with Christ has resulted in the sublimest heroism 
throughout the Christian ages. For in union with him a Chris- 
tian never comes to the end of his resources, he is joined 
to inexhaustible supplies. It is a sense of coming to an end 
of our resources which is at the root of discouragement. 
Discouragement is the eclipse of Christ, discouragement is 
the false idea of having lost God. The sense of the 
abiding presence of Christ by faith means the ability to en- 
dure, and not only does it mean endurance, but endurance 
which enriches the soul. There is a stoical endurance which 
turns the heart to stone. But that heroism in the face of 
difficulty and trial, born of fellowship with Christ, makes the 
heart tender and sympathetic towards those who are sorely 
tried. 

Divine Master, may I daily renew my strength in Thy 
presence, in Thy companionship. Teach me to believe that 
Thy presence is not dependent upon my mood, but upon Thy 
promise. Thus may I face all that awaits me. 



SECTION IX. 

Epistles to Timothy, Philemon 
and Romans 



Sunday. Thirty-sixth Week, II. Timothy 2:11-26. 

11 Faithful is the saying: For if we died with him, 
we shall also live with him: 12 if we endure, we shall 
also reign with him: if we shall deny him, he also will 
deny us: IS if we are faithless, he abideth faithful; for 
he cannot deny himself. 14 Of these things put them in 
remembrance, charging them in the sight of the Lord, 
that they strive not about words, to no profit, to the 
subverting of them that hear. 15 Give diligence to 
present thyself approved unto God, a workman that 
needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of 
truth. 16 But shun profane babblings: for they will 
proceed further in ungodliness, 17 and their word will 
eat as doth a gangrene: of whom is Hymenaeus and 
Philetus; 18 men who concerning the truth have erred, 
saying that the resurrection is past already, and over- 
throw the faith of some. 19 Howbeit the firm foundation 
of God standeth, having this seal, The Lord knoweth 
them that are his; and, Let every one that nameth the 
name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness. 20 Now 
in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and 
of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some unto 
honor, and some unto dishonor, 21 If a man there- 
fore purge himself from these he shall be a vessel unto 
honor sanctified, meet for the master's use, prepared 
unto every good work. 22 But flee youthful lusts, and 
follow after righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them 
that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 But foolish 
and ignorant questionings refuse, knowing that they gen- 
der strifes. 24 And the Lord's servant must not strive, 
but be gentle towards all, apt to teach, forbearing 25 in 
meekness correcting them that oppose themselves; if per- 
adventure God may give them repentance unto the knowl- 
edge of the truth, 26 and they may recover themselves 



EPISTLES TO TIMOTHY, ETC. 



i out of the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by 
i him unto his will. 

Spiritual life is according to natural law; there can be no 
present triumphant resurrection life except as there is an 
1 experience of dying to the lower self. Suffering with Christ 
is the pathway to power. 

And it is of the utmost importance to keep clearly before 
the mind the principles which undergird Christian character, 
or not to be lost in mere quibbles which create bad feeling, 
rather than stimulate to holiness of life. The Christian 
worker can never substitute discussion for a straightforward 
surrender of his inner life to the Master's use, and his outer 
life should have the bearing of patient gentleness rather than 
of pugnacity, towards those who differ from him, for it is 
only by the exercise of the Christian temper that he can 
hope to win those who have gone astray, and have added 
bitterness to their waywardness. 

Monday, Thirty-sixth Week, II. Timothy 3 :1-17. 

1 But know this, that in the last days grievous times 
shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of 
money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, 
unthankful, unholy, 3 without natural affection, implac- 
able, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of 
good, 4 traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleas- 
ure rather than lovers of God; 5 holding a form of godli- 
ness, but having denied the power thereof; from these 
also turn away. 6 For of these are they that creep into 
houses, and take captive silly women laden with sins, led 
away by divers lusts, 7 ever learning, and never able 
to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 And even as 
Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also 
withstand the truth; men corrupted in mind, reprobate 
concerning the faith. 9 But they shall proceed no fur- 
ther; for their folly shall be evident unto all men, as 
theirs also came to be. 10 But thou didst follow my 
teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, 
patience, 11 persecutions, sufferings; what things befell 
me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions 
I endured: and out of them all the Lord delivered me. 
12 Yea, and all that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall 
suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and imposters shall 
wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 
14 But abide thou in the things which thou hast learned 



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PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast 
learned them; 15 and that from a babe thou hast known 
the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto 
salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 every 
scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, 
for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in 
righteousness: 17 that the man of God may be complete, 
furnished eompkteiy unto every good work. 

The servant of Christ in his earnest desire to help men 
must be prepared for the revelations of the worst side of 
human nature which will be made in his contact with the 
world. 

And it is well that he should be forewarned as in the 
words of the Apostle to Timothy, and not only forewarned 
but it is well that he should have before his mind in order 
to keep from discouragement the life of a great worker who 
endured all the trials and persecutions consequent upon tire- 
less continuance. 

One cannot get into actual grips with a sinful world 
oh behalf of Christ without realizing how awful sin is, and 
without feeling the need for that sustainment which comes 
from the Word of God. It is only the worker who knows, 
and lives upon the Scriptures, who has at once the neces- 
sary spiritual courage to keep at his work and the sufficient 
weapon to reach the hardened human soul 

Tuesday, Thirty-sixth Week, II. Timothy 4:1-8. 

1 I charge thee in the sight of God, and of Christ 
Jesus, who shall judge the living and the dead, and by 
his appearing and his kingdom; 2 preach the word; be 
instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, 
with all longsuftering and teaching. 3 for the time will 
come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, 
having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after 
their own lusts; 4 and will turn away their ears from the 
truth, and turn aside unto fables, 5 But be thou sober in 
all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, 
fulfil thy ^ ministry. 6 For I am already being offered, 
and the time of my departure is come. 7 I have fought 
the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the 
faith: 8 henceforth there is laid up for me the crown 
of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, 
shall give to me at that day: and not to me only, but 
also to all them that have loved his appearing. 



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179 



The preacher who keeps his own life before the judg- 
ment seat of Christ will not pander to those people who 
delight in listening to what is sensational or merely novel. 
He will not so much consult the wishes of his listeners as 
the commands of his Master. He will preach the Word 
and he will keep at it and he will do it with that courage 
which rebukes sin. But he may find some people resenting 
it, and then he will be assailed by the terrible temptation 
to tone down his message, to say to some influential people 
he did not mean exactly what he said. And if he surrenders 
he not only has turned from the judgment seat of Christ to 
the judgment seat of the world, but he has parted with just 
so much of his spiritual power and with the freedom of his 
soul. While he who is ready to endure affliction for the 
truth's sake preserves the integrity of his soul, the freedom 
of his spirit, and the bearing of joyous anticipation of the 
crowning day. 

Wednesday, Thirty-sixth Week, II. Timothy 4:9-22. 

9 Give diligence to come shortly unto me: 10 for 
Demas forsook me, having loved this present world, and 
went to Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus to Dal- 
matia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring 
him with thee: for he is useful to me for ministering. 
12 But Tychicus I sent to Ephesus. 13 The cloke that I 
left at Troas with Carpus, bring when thou comest, and 
the books, especially the parchments. 14 Alexander the 
coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord will render to 
him according to his works: 15 of whom do thou also 
beware; for he greatly withstood our words. 16 At my 
first defense no one took my part, but all forsook me: may 
it not be laid to their account. 17 But the Lord stood by 
me and strengthened me; that through me the message 
might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might 
hear; and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. 
18 The Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and 
will save me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be the 
glory for ever and ever. Amen. 19 Salute Prlsca and 
Aquila, and the house of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus re- 
mained at Corinth: but Trophimus I left at Miletus sick. 
21 Give diligence to come before winter. Eubulus saluteth 
thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the 
brethren. 22 The Lord be with thy spirit. Grace be 
with you. 



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PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



Great souls with great causes on their hearts sutler keenly 
when associates prove faithless ; they know the bitterness 
of loneliness. There are real services which we may render 
them in their solitude. The expression of sympathy, small 
attentions, however trifling they may seem to us, are often 
of far greater consequence than we can imagine to those 
who are bearing the strain of large affairs comparatively 
alone. We make a grave mistake when we think that we 
can do little or nothing to help and cheer those who are in 
conspicuous and perplexing places. 

It is just that apparently small service which we can 
render that might make all the difference between joy and 
sorrow in their lives. And the opportunity is a fleeting one. 
Tomorrow we may hear they have gone, and yesterday we 
were prompted to do or say something that would lighten 
their burden, but we silenced the suggestion with the excuse 
that it would not be appreciated or acceptable. 

Divine Master: give me the sympathy and discernment so 
that I may render some help to those who are bearing the 
strain of large affairs in conspicuous solitude. May the tem- 
per of my spirit not be envious or critical, but gracious and 
cheering. 

Thursday, Thirty-sixth Week, Titus 1:1-5. 

1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus 
Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the 
knowledge of the truth^ which is according to godliness, 
2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, 
promised before times eternal; 3 but in his own seasons 
manifested his word in the message, wherewith I was 
intrusted according to the commandment of God our 
Saviour; 4 to Titus, my true child after a common faith: 
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus 
our Saviour. 5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that 
thou shouldest set in order the things that were wanting, 
and appoint elders in every city, as I gave thee charge; 

The apostle indicates his relation to God and to the Gos- 
pel of Christ before he indicates his relation to his 
fellow-men. 

He bases his authority and his message upon the solemn 
obligation which was first of all laid upon him. He shows 



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181 



; that he is simply passing on what has been committed to 
| him to deliver to his Christian friends, and to the world= 
: St. Paul never fails to connect all his exhortations to men 
! with the primary purposes of God in Christ. He makes it 
I plain that he is only a channel, he is simply giving audible 
! expression of the mind of the Spirit working through his 
personality. 

And as such he urges Titus to establish the work of divine 
1 grace which has been started at Crete. He is not content 

that a good work was done; that is not enough, it must be 

preserved, it must be organized, it must be committed to 

faithful and competent leadership. 
And it is of the utmost importance in our own day that 
I all quickened religious life should be preserved, maintained, 

that it should have organization and leadership that shall 

to some degree be the guarantee of its continuance. There 
i is a great temptation to be content with large and successful 

movements without adequate provision being made for their 

survival. 

! Friday, Thirty-sixth Week, Titus 1 :6-9. 

6 if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, 
; having children that believe, who are not accused of riot 
! or unruly. 7 For the bishop must be blameless, as God's 
steward; not self willed, not soon angry, no brawler, no 
striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; 8 but given to hospi- 
tality, a lover of good, soberminded, just, holy, self-con- 
trolled; 9 holding to the faithful word which is according 
to the teaching, that he may be able both to exhort in the 
sound doctrine, and to convict the gainsayers. 

In order to establish Christians rescued from heathenism 
a leader in the first century had to possess certain qualifica- 
tions ; so must a leader in our modern Christian society, 
whose task it is to perpetuate the fruits of evangelistic move- 
ments, have certain distinct qualifications. He must have all 
that is demanded in the Elder of the first century, and some 
thing more besides. And it is a question whether we make 
| sufficient recognition in our times of the importance of hav- 
| ing "missions" followed up by men who are specially adapt- 
| ed to feed those who are babes in Christ with the sincere 
| milk of the Word. Young converts greatly need spiritual 
, teaching suited to the early stages of Christian experience, 
I and it is a question whether we give enough thought to the 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



problem of having workers who have pre-eminent, expert 
Qualifications to help young believers over the peculiar temp- 
tations and difficulties of the beginnings of Christian life. 

Saturday, Thirty-sixth Week, Titus 1 :10-16. 

10 For there are many unruly men, vain talkers and 
deceivers, specially they of the circumcision, 11 whose 
mouths must be stopped; men who overthrow whole 
houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy 
lucre's sake. 12 One of themselves, a prophet of their 
own, said, Cretans are alway liars, evil beasts, idle glut- 
tons. 13 This testimony is true. For which cause re- 
prove them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 
14 not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments 
of men who turn away from the truth. 15 To the pure 
all things are pure: but to them that are defiled and un- 
believing nothing is pure; but both their mind and their 
conscience are defiled. 16 They profess that they know 
God; but by their works they deny him, being abomin- 
able, and disobedient, and unto every good work repro- 
bate. 

St. Paul had a very clear view of the influences in the 
society of his time which tempted and deceived young 
Christians. And not only was he careful to name those 
temptations to his converts, warning them against them, 
but he urged leaders to use strong measures to endeavor 
to silence those harmful influences. 

It is not enough to put Christians on their guard. The 
Church must exert a social power against everything that 
would injure the spiritual life of her children. To be silent 
on such things is not charity, it is cowardice. And when 
Christian workers take refuge in preaching the gospel to 
the individual without facing the social complications involved 
in translating the gospel into life, it is like rowing a beat 
with one oar; progress is not made. Christ has a message 
for the individual and also for society, and the messages 
are not contradictory, they are the counterparts of each other. 

Sunday, Thirty-seventh Week, Titus 2 :1-10. 

1 But speak thou the things which befit the sound 
doctrine: 2 that aged men be temperate, grave, sober- 



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183 



minded, sound in faith, in love, in patience: 3 that aged 
women likewise be reverent in demeanor, not slanderers 
nor enslaved to much wine, teachers of that which is 
good; 4 that they may train the young women to love 
their husbands, to love their children. 5 to be sober- 
minded, chaste, workers at home, kind, being in subjec- 
tion to their own husbands, that the word of God be not 
blasphemed; 6 the younger men likewise exhort to be 
soberminded: 7 in all things showing thyself an ensample 
of good works; in thy doctrine shewing uncorruptness, 
gravity, 8 sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that 
he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having 
no evil thing to say of us. 9 Exhort servants to be in 
subjection to their own masters, and to be well-pleasing 
to them in all things; not gainsaying; 10 not purloining, 
but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the 
doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. 

St. Paul's idea of the gospel for the individual extends 
to the practical facts of life. It not only emphasizes the 
inner life, the inner relation to Christ, it has a message 
to the outward behavior of aged men and aged women. 
It deals with conduct. It imposes the duty upon elderly 
women towards younger women oi insisting upon proper 
Christian deportment in the home life. It urges upon 
young men the true discipline of the mental life. It en- 
joins servants to have a bearing of fidelity and loyalty to 
their masters. We are tempted not only to separate the 
social message of St. Paul's gospel from the individual 
message, but to separate the practical message from the 
inner spiritual message in individual life. But the apostle 
emphasizes both sides. He proclaims the need for the grace 
of God in the soul, but he also insists upon the grace of 
outward behavior, and he sees no division between the twa 
aspects of truth. 

Monday, Thirty-seventh Week, Titus 2:11-15. 

11 For the Grace of God hath appeared, bringing sal- 
vation to all men, 12 instructing us, to the intent that, 
denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live 
soberly and righteously and godly in this present world; 
13 looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the 
glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 
who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all 
iniquity, and purify unto himself a people for his own 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



possession, zealous of good works. 15 These things speak 
and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no man 
despise thee. 

The grace of God, the atoning work of Christ, the blessed 
hope of the coming Lord, these are not vague ideas de- 
tached from common, practical life. They are the heart and 
soul of it. They are the dynamic of pure, enthusiastic, mo- 
rally progressive living. These inner spiritual realities are 
the secret of a morality which is beyond conventional mo- 
rality. These truths make Christians, who are really swayed 
by them, pioneers in the realm of character, not echoes of 
their surroundings, but original exponents of a higher 
morality. 

The world is dependent upon those who are under the 
spell of unseen realities for true moral progress in human 
history. Without such lives there could be no real ethical 
development; the life of the world would simply repeat the 
conduct of the past; there would be no progressive origi- 
nality. 

Tuesday, Thirty-seventh Week. Titus 3 :1-8 C 

1 Put them in mind to be in subjection to rulers, to 
authorities, to be obedient, to be ready unto every good 
work, 2 to speak evil of no man, not to be contentious, 
to be gentle, shewing all meekness toward all men. 3 For 
we also once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, 
serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and 
envy, hateful, hating one another. 4 But when the kind- 
ness of God our Saviour, and his love toward man, 
appeared, 5 not by works done in righteousness, which 
we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved 
us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing 
of the Holy Spirit. 6 which he poured out upon us 
richly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 that, being 
justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according 
to the hope of eternal life. 8 Faithful is the saying, and 
concerning these things I desire that thou affirm con- 
fidently, to the end that they who have believed God 
may be careful to maintain good works. These things are 
good and profitable unto men. 

The demagogue is not a progressive, he is a destroyer. 
The true progressive is he who is reverent towards all the 
best that is in the past. He does not proclaim revolution, 



■ EPISTLES TO TIMOTHY, ETC. 



185 



but evolution in society. 

The Christian progressive is a gentle man. He has con- 
trol of himself in his efforts to improve the world. He 
has outgrown that activity which is inspired by hate and 
spite. That is the real secularism of modern society, the 
efforts of so-called reformers whose own personalities are 
unreformed, and undisciplined, and whose fiery energy is 
inspired by hatred. Not until the spirit of Jesus has cap- 
tured such can they ever really contribute to the progress 
of the world. The gospel of Christ changing the hearts , of 
men changes their bitter zeal into kindly cooperation with 
all good men for the coming of the Kingdom of God upon 
earth. 

Divine Master: may I not only be a worker in the world, 
but may my spirit be right. Help me to have the victory in 
my own soul, so that I may help bring in the victory in 
society. 

Wednesday, Thirty-seventh Week, Titus 3 :9-15. 

9 But shun foolish questionings, and genealogies, and 
strifes, and fightings about the law; for they are un- 
profitable and vain. 10 A factious man, after a first 
and second admonition refuse; 11 knowing that such 
a one is perverted, and sinneth, being self-condemned. 
12 When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus. 
give diligence to come unto me to Nicopolis: for there I 
have determined to winter. 13 Set forward Zenas the 
lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that noth- 
ing be wanting unto them. 14 And let our people also 
learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that 
they be not unfruitful. 15 All that are with me salute 
thee. Salute them that love us in faith. Grace be with 
you all. 

Practical, good work is far better than mere opinionative 
discussion. There is nothing more profitless than certain 
forms of mere argument, which has no real passion for hu- 
manity at the back of it. There are men who are ready at 
the slightest provocation to discuss, and contradict, any- 
thing. 

The servant of Christ must avoid them. For there is 
a grave danger of substituting wrangling for true service. 



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PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



And one is sometimes deluded into thinking that discussion 
is just as good as action. Besides, discussion after one 
sees what should be done may not only be evasion of duty, 
but it may mean the injury of the moral vision. When one 
plays with truth it may have the same effect upon the inner 
life as staring at the sun has upon the eyes. The human 
eyes were not made for staring at the sun, but to aid in 
walking by is light upon the common road. 

Thursday, Thirty-seventh Week, Philemon 1-7. 

1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our 
brother, to Philemon our beloved and fellow-worker, 2 
and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow- 
soldier, and to the Church in thy house: 3 Grace to you 
and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus 
Christ. 4 I thank my God always, making mention of 
thee in my prayers, 5 hearing of thy love, and of the 
faith which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward 
all the saints; 6 that the fellowship of thy faith may be- 
come effectual, in the knowledge of every good thing 
which is in you, unto Christ. 7 For I had much joy and 
comfort in thy love, because the hearts of the saints have 
been refreshed through thee, brother. 

St. Paul in his imprisonment at Rome had won Onesimus, 
a runaway slave, as a convert to Christ, and this beautiful 
letter was written by the apostle to Philemon, a Christian 
man living at Colosse, who was the master of Onesimus, 
asking him to receive his penitent, changed slave back again 
in the Christian spirit. St. Paul was no partisan. He loved 
Onesimus, the slave, and he also loved Philemon, the pros- 
perous slave owner. The apostle was anxious that the slave 
should prove his Christianity by going back to his master. 
He was also anxious that Philemon should show his Chris- 
tianity by the way in which he received him, while St. Paul 
revealed his own Christianity in his desire and attempt to 
reconcile both. For Christianity is the gospel of reconcilia- 
tion. The true Christian leader will plead the cause of the 
weak and erring, who are really penitent, even if they have 
done wrong. He will not only bring them to Christ, he 
will try to fit them back into the social order. And the 
wise Christian worker will neither rail against employers, 
nor bow down weakly before them, but earnestly seek to 
have them exercise the spirit of Christ in the adjustment of 



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187 



differences. 

There can be no final settlement of anything until there 
is breadth of vision born of true sympathy to, see the good 
on both sides. 

Friday, Thirty-seventh Week, Philemon 8-15. 

8 Wherefore, though I have all boldness in Christ to 
enjoin thee that which is befitting, 9 yet for love's sake 

I rather beseech, being such a one as Paul the aged, and 
now a prisoner also of Christ Jesus: 10 I beseech thee for 
my child, whom I have begotten in my bonds, Onesimus, 

II who once was unprofitable to thee, but now is 
profitable to thee and to me: 12 whom I have sent back 
to thee in his own person, that is, my very heart: 13 whom 
I would fain have kept with me, that in thy behalf he 
might minister unto me in the bonds of the gospel: 14 
but without thy mind I would do nothing; that thy good- 
ness should not be as of necessity, but of free will. 15 For 
perhaps he was therefore parted from thee for a season, 
that thou shouldest have him for ever. 

It is the duty of the Church to appeal to employers as 
well as to plead with those who are employed, and that is not 
so difficult as it once was. Perhaps the difficulty is to ex- 
ercise restraint in the appeal. For there may sometimes be 
a temptation to please the multitude by wild utterances 
against men in high places. The example of St. Paul reveals 
the true spirit, the spirit of Christian restraint, of kindly, 
yet firm, persuasion. In addressing those who are in places 
of power the modern democrat is tempted to think only of 
the Christianity that is in the end which he seeks, and to 
forget the Christianity which should be in the way he seeks 
it It is the neglect of the Christian spirit in the attempt to 
solve problems that may be the cause of delay, complication, 
deepened class hatred, social despair. 

Saturday, Thirty-seventh Week, Philemon 16-25. 

16 No longer as a servant, but more than a servant, a 
brother beloved, specially to me, but how much rather to 
thee, both in the flesh and in the Lord. 17 If then thou 
countest me a partner, receive him as myself. 18 But if 
he hath wronged thee at all, or oweth thee aught, put 
that to mine account; 19 I, Paul, write it with mine own 



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PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



hand, I will repay it: that I say not unto thee that 
thou owest to me even thine own self besides. 20 Yea, 
brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my 
heart in Christ. 21 Having confidence in thine obedience 
I write unto thee, knowing that thou wilt do even beyond 
what I say. 22 But withal prepare me also a lodging: for 
I hope that through your prayers I shall be granted unto 
you, 23 Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus, 
saluteth thee; 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, 
Luke my fellow-workers. 25 The grace of our Lord 
Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. 

Without attacking the institution of slavery, St. Paul ap- 
peals to Philemon to recognize in his slave one who is a 
brother. That is to say, he pleads for the transfiguration of 
the relationship through the exercise of the Christian spirit, 
and, of course, if that spirit prevailed in the relationship it 
ceased to be slavery. 

While there is a great place for masculine thinking, and 
manly discussion, in our modern problems, there is a su- 
preme place for the Christian atmosphere In which problems 
should be considered. The Christian atmosphere can dis- 
solve problems which would still be far from a solution 
after any mere argument. But it is not necessarily a ques- 
tion of argument versus atmosphere; it is rather a question 
of argument plus the Christian atmosphere that our per- 
plexing questions demand for their solution. And at the 
same time a willingness on the part of those who are ex- 
ponents of progress to make genuine personal sacrifices for 
the cause. When St. Paul asked Philemon to charge to his 
account all that Onesimus owed he had gone a long way 
towards mastering the situation. 

Sunday, Thirty-eighth Week, Romans 1 :l-9. 

1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an 
apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2 which he 
promised afore through his prophets in the Holy Scrip- 
tures, 3 concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of 
David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared to be 
the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of 
holiness, by the resurrection from the dead; even Jesus 
Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we received grace and 
apostleship, unto obedience of faith among all the 
nations, for his name's sake: 6 among whom are ye also, 
called to be Jesus Christ's: 7 to all that are in Rome, 



EPISTLES TO TIMOTHY, ETC. 189 



beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and 
peace from God our Father and the Lord jesus Christ. 
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you 
all, that your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole 
world. & For God is my witness, whom I serve in my 
spirit in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I make 
mention of you, 

Every one knows that the Epistles of St. Paul are not 
placed in chronological order in the New Testament. But 
as the purpose of these comments does not cover the ques- 
tion of the date of authorship, or any other purely academic 
question, we are content to endeavor to grasp the meaning 
of the text in its application to life. 

St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans differs from his other 
letters in its breadth and comprehensiveness. It was writ- 
ten to give emphasis to the Christian Gospel as a world 
message in its general relation to Judaism. There is a 
cosmopolitan grasp in the letter which was most appropriate 
in a message addressed to a Christian society living in the 
capital of the world. 

The apostle begins by stating his own Christian stand- 
ing. He was set apart, called to be an apostle, a servant of 
Jesus Christ. He identifies the Christ with the historical 
Jesus, and the historical Jesus with the Messianic hope of 
the Jews. And he recognizes that the living Christ received 
from God His place of supremacy, giving Him the right to 
direct His own world-wide campaign, calling men to receive 
the Grace of God, to become saints. The apostle indicates 
his profound interest in the faith of the Roman Christians, 
and expresses his thankfulness to God that their testimony 
has a universal influence, and such being the case he felt 
the strategic importance of intercession on their behalf. 

Monday, Thirty-eighth Week, Romans 1 :10-17. 

always in my prayers 10 making request, if by any 
means now at length I may be prospered by the will of 
God to come unto you. 11 For I long to see you, that I 
may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye 
may be established; 12 that is that I with you may be 
comforted in you, each of us by the other's faith, both 
yours and mine. 13 And I would not have you ignorant, 
brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you 
(and was hindered hitherto), that I might have some fruit 



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PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



in you also, even as in the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am 
debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the 
wise and to the foolish. 15 So, as much as in me is, I am 
ready to preach the gospel to you also that are in Rome. 
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the 
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; 
to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein 
is revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith: 
as it is written, But the righteous shall live by faith. 

St. Paul was not only a Christian, he was a statesman in 
the service of Christ. He had the large vision, a world- 
wide grasp of the problems confronting Christianity. He 
saw the importance of the Christian Church being strong 
and mature in its testimony in a center so supremely con- 
spicuous as Rome. He had no timid uncertainty as to the 
power of the gospel to subdue and transfigure human na- 
ture in the headquarters of paganism. He had no shamefaced 
apology for bringing the little-known Christian message into 
the midst of institutions which were enthroned by time and 
political power. 

St. Paul combined the breadth of view of the statesman 
with the passion and conviction and faith of the evan- 
gelist. 

It is this combination that we sorely need in the enter- 
prise of the Kingdom of God today; extensive and inten- 
sive vision, extensive and intensive spiritual achievement. 

Divine Master: may I not be so intent upon the bringing of 
individuals to Thee that I shall lose sight of Thy world-wide 
purpose, and may I not be so occupied by the world vision 
that I shall neglect the problems near at hand. Teach me to 
obey the promptings of Thy Spirit who is seeking to expand 
my sympathies to individual and to universal concerns. 

Tuesday, Thirty-eighth Week, Romans 1 :18-32. 

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven 
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who 
hinder the truth in unrighteousness; 19 because that 
which is known of God is manifest in them; for 
God manifested it unto them. 20 For the invisible 
things of him since the creation of the world are 
clearly seen, being perceived through the things that 
are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that 



EPISTLES TO TIMOTHY, ETC. 



iqi 



they may be without excuse; 21 because that, knowing 
God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; 
but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless 
heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be 
wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the 
incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corrupt- 
ible man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts, and creep- 
ing things. 24 Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts 
of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should 
be dishonoured among themselves: 25 for that they ex- 
changed the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and 
served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed 
for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up 
unto vile passions: for their women changed the natural 
use into that which is against nature: 27 and likewise also 
the men, leaving the natural use of the women, burned 
in their lust one toward another, men with men working 
unseemliness, and receiving in themselves that recom- 
pense of their error which was due. 28 And even as they 
refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them 
up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are 
not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, 
wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, 
murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 backbiters, 
hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of 
evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 without understand- 
ing, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, un- 
merciful: 32 who, knowing the ordinance of God, that 
they that practise such things are worthy of death, not 
only do the same, but also consent with them that prac- 
tise them. 

The mere intellectual perception of truth will not save a 
character from destruction. It is possible to be intellectually 
wise and morally wicked. And such moral wickedness is 
all the greater since it is disobedient to light. And such dis- 
obedience blights the whole realm of the inner life. The 
process of moral decay turns thankfulness of spirit into cyni- 
cism, it degrades the imagination, it blinds the intuitive dis- 
cernment of the heart. And beyond all that, those who are 
the victims of it are not aware that their intellectual wis- 
dom without moral wisdom has branded them fools. When 
moral degeneration takes place in lives which have no sur- 
roundings to act as a restraint, as a conscience, as was the 
case in pagan Rome, then the moral decline is rapid, com- 
plete, unspeakable. 



I Q2 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



As one reads the natural history of disobedient souls in 
the midst of a society which offered no healthy resistance 
to their career as here outlined by St. Paul, the heart be- 
comes sick with the fearful story, and at the same time 
thankful for that conscience which has been created by 
Christian civilization which today helps to save men from 
such awful depths almost in spite of themselves 

Wednesday, Thirty-eighth Week, Romans 2 :1-10. 

1 Wherefore thou art without excuse, O man, whoso- . 
ever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest an- 
other, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest dost 
practise the same things. 2 And we know that the judg- 
ment of God is according to truth against them that prac- 
tise such things. 3 And reckonest thou this, O man, who 
judgest them that practise such things, and doest the 
same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? 4 Or 
despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance 
and longsuflering, not knowing that the goodness of 
God leadeth thee to repentence? 5 but after thy hardness 
and impenitent heart treasurest up for thyself wrath in 
the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judg- 
ment of God; 6 who will render to every man according 
to his works: 7 to them that by patience in well-doing 
seek for glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life; 

8 but unto them that are factious, and obey not the truth, 
but obey unrighteousness, shall be wrath and indignation, 

9 tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that 
worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek; 

10 but glory and honor and peace to every man that 
worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 

Criticism of others sometimes takes the place of personal 
reformation. The intellectual faculties being keener than 
the moral sense, one sees with more vividness the actions of 
others than he sees his own character. 

And because he sees the failings of others he is tempted to 
think it is vision proceeding from his superiority, whereas 
it is simply an abnormal mental keenness born of a mind 
which has ceased to be occupied with the moral problems of 
its own existence. 

Criticism is often a temptation to cease to mind our own 
business, and in ceasing to mind our own business we forget 
bow hard it is to live as we ought and we become unchar- 
itable. 



EPISTLES TO TIMOTHY, ETC. 



193 



The whole question of judgment is in the hands of God, 
and when we leave it with Him we show not only our faith 
in Him, but we also keep our powers of discernment hitched 
to their proper tasks in the making of our own character, 
and we develop a true charity for the struggling failures of 
our fellows. 

Heavenly Father: help me to keep my mind upon Thy will 
revealed in me by Thy Spirit, so that I shall not be free to 
critisize my neighbor but rather learn to sympathize with 
him in his trials and failures, 

Thursday, Thirty-eighth Week, Romans 2:11-29. 

II For there is no respect of persons with God. 12 For 
as many as have sinned without the law shall also perish 
without the law; and as many as have sinned under the 
law shall be judged by the law; 13 for not the hearers 
of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law 
shall be justified: 14 (for when Gentiles which have not 
the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not 
having the law, are the law unto themselves; 15 in that 
they show the work of the law written in their hearts, 
their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their 
thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing 
them); 16 in the day when God shall judge the secrets 
of men, according to my gospel, by Jesus Christ. 
17 But if thou bearest the name of a Jew, and restest 
upon the law, and gloriest in God, 18 and knowest 
his will, and approvest the things that are excellent, 
being instructed out of the law. 19 and art con- 
fident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light 
of them that are in darkness, 20 a corrector of the foolish, 
a teacher of babes, having in the law the form of knowl- 
edge and of the truth; 21 thou therefore that teachest 
another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a 
man should not steal, dost thou steal? 22 thou that 
sayest a man should not commit adultery, does thou com 
mit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou rob 
temples; 23 thou who gloriest in the law, through thy 
transgression of the law dishonorest thou God? 24 For 
the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles be- 
cause of you, even as it is written. 25 For circumcision 
indeed profiteth, if thou be a doer of the law: but if thou 
be a transgressor of the law, thy circumcision is become 
uncircumcision. 26 If therefore the uncircumcision keep 



194 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



the ordinances of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be 
reckoned for circumcision, 27 and shall not the uncir- 
cumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge 
thee, who with the letter and circumcision art a trans- 
gressor of the law? 28 For he is not a Jew, who is 
one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is out- 
ward in the flesh: 29 but he is a Jew, who is one in- 
wardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the 
spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but 
of God. 

When we firmly believe that there is no respect of persons 
with God then so much of the abstruse theological discus- 
sion of a former generation which reflected upon the justice 
of God is silenced. And the fact of there being no respect 
of persons with God finds eloquent vindication in the scien- 
tific doctrine of the reign of law. 

Every soul shall be judged according to his light, and 
according to St. Paul that was true of the Jew as well as 
of the Gentile. The superior religious knowledge of the 
Jew would not save him, so long as he was disobedient to 
the spirit of its teaching. While the man who had less 
knowledge but who was true to the knowledge he had, was 
far more in the line of the will of God than the man who 
had large religious knowledge but was false to its message. 
The modern application of that being that to be brought up 
in a Christian land with exalted Christian knowledge, and 
yet to be morally untrue to that knowledge, is to put one 
below the spiritual standing of a so-called heathen who is 
true to the native instincts of his soul. 

Divine Master: I would not think that superior knowledge 
of Thy truth can save my soul, without obedience to its mes- 
sage. Help me to bear humbly in mind that Thou art no 
respector of persons, that only as I cooperate with Thy 
grace in daily sacrifice, can I hope for the sense of Thy pres- 
ence and favor. 

Friday, Thirty-eighth Week, Romans 3 :l-9. 

1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what is the 
profit of circumcision? 2 Much every way: first of all, 
that they were intrusted with the oracles of God. 3 For 
what if some were without faith? shall their want of faith 



EPISTLES TO TIMOTHY, ETC. 



195 



make of none effect the faithfulness of God? 4 God for- 
bid: yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar; as 
it is written. 
That thou mightest be justified in thy words, 

And mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment. 

5 But if our unrighteousness commendeth the righteous- 
ness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who 
visiteth with wrath? (I speak after the manner of men.) 

6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world? 7 
But if the truth of God through my lie abounded unto 
his glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8 and 
why not (as we are slanderously reported, and as come 
affirm that we say), Let us do evil, that good may come? 
whose condemnation is just. 9 What then? are we 
better than they? No, in no wise; for we before laid 
to the charge both of Jews and Greeks, that they are all 
under sin. 

Because one who has high religious knowledge but is 
disobedient to it is not so good a man as he who is relig- 
iously ignorant but true to his! light, it does not follow that 
to possess the highest and truest religious knowledge is of 
no consequence. For it is only through the possession of the 
highest revelation of truth that there is any hope for the 
moral progress of the world. For example, an educated ras- 
cal is worse than an ignorant one, but because of that fact 
we shall not make the foolish deduction that education is of 
no avail. While religious knowledge does not of itself make 
one more acceptable to God, yet it keeps the sense of the 
distance between the ideal and the actual before the mind of 
the individual and of the world. The highest religious 
knowledge creates a conscience, it keeps the world from 
moral stagnation, it develops the sense of sin, it is an abiding 
moral challenge. 

Saturday, Thirty-eighth Week, Romans 3 :10~20. 

10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one; 
11 There is none that understandeth, There is none that 
seeketh after God; 12 They have all turned aside, they are 
together become unprofitable; There is none that doeth 
good, no, not so much as one: 13 Their throat is an open 
sepulchre; With their tongues they have used deceit: The 
poison of asps is under* their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full 
of cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet are swift to shed 
blood; 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways; 17 



196 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is 
no fear of God before their eyes. 

19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, 
it speaketh to them that are under the law; that every 
mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be brought 
under the judgment of God: 20 because by the works of 
the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for through 
the law cometh the knowledge of sin. 

The higher the revelation of religious truth the deeper is 
the sense of moral shortcoming. It was the fact of the 
revelation of the moral law in the Old Testament that made 
possible the awful indictment of human conduct as narrated 
in the passage before us. It was simply the deep shadow 
cast by the brilliant light. There is no such arraignment of 
human nature in the literature of ethnic religions, because 
there is no such revelation of moral law. There must be a 
conviction of moral shortcoming before there can be a sense 
of need for the divine assistance. And the moral law did 
that very thing, it brought home sin to the consciousness 
of men, so that all men who measure themselves by its 
standards are smitten with a sense of failure. 

Sunday, Thirty-ninth Week, Romans 3:21-31. 

21 But now apart from the law a righteousness of God 
hath been manifested, being witnessed by the law and 
the prophets; 22 even the righteousness of God through 
faith in Jesus Christ unto all them that believe; for there 
is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned, and fall short of 
the glory of God; 24 being justified freely by his grace 
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom 
God set forth to be a propitiation, through faith, in his 
blood, to shew his righteousness, because of the passing 
over of the sins done aforetime, in the forbearance of 
God; 26 for the showing, I say, of his righteousness at 
this present season; that he might himself be just, and the 
justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus. 27 Where then is 
the glorying? It is excluded. By what manner of law? 
of works? Nay: but by a law of faith. 28 we reckon 
therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the 
works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? 
is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yea, of Gentiles also; 

30 if so be that God is one, and he shall justify the cir- 
cumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith. 

31 Do we then make the law of none effect through faith? 



EPISTLES TO TIMOTHY, ETC. 197 



God forbid; nay, we establish the law. 

God educates the human race by the revelation of the 
moral law, which, having created in men a sense of moral 
shortcoming, must give place to some other influence 
which will save men from despair who have become con- 
sciously sinful through the knowledge of the law. Thus 
the law gives place to the gospel. The gospel becomes the 
next stage in the world's moral progress, for it tells of 
forgiveness for the sin of moral failure, and stirs the soul in 
its depths to a sense of gratitude, and gives a sense of per- 
sonal relation to God in Christ through whom the gospel has 
come. And thus the gospel while saving the soul from the 
consequences of a sense of shortcoming raises it by personal 
association with Christ to a spiritual fulfilment of the law 
which formerly had only been a messenger of condemnation. 
Faith in Christ saves from the terrors of the law, and at the 
same time provides the moral dynamic for the fulfilment of 
its demands. 

Monday, Thirty-ninth Week, Romans 4:1-12. 

1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather 
hath found, according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham 
was justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not 
toward God. 3 For what saith the scripture? And Abra- 
ham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for 
righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh, the reward 
is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt. 5 But to him 
that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the 
ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness. 6 Even 
as David also pronounceth blessing upon the man, unto 
whom God reckoneth righteousness apart from works, 
7 saying, 

Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, 
And whose sins are covered. 

8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon 
sin. 

9 Is this blessing then pronounced upon the circum- 
cision, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say, To 
Abraham his faith was reckoned for righteousness. 10 
How then was it reckoned? when he was in circumcision, 
or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncir- 
cumcision: 11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a 
seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while 
he was in uncircumcision; that he might be the father of 
all them that believe, though they be in uncircumcision, 



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PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



that righteousness might be reckoned unto them; 12 and 
the father of circumcision to them who not only are of 
the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of that 
faith of our father Abraham which he had in un circum- 
cision. 

Faith as the means of obtaining justification before God 
is not confined to the New Testament, it runs as a trium- 
phant principle all through the Bible. Abraham in the va- 
rious aspects of his life, in the various situations in which 
he found himself, exercised faith in God, and by the exer- 
cise of faith he achieved spiritual standing before God. 
Faith was the bond that bound him to all that God had to 
bestow upon him. 

And it was not because he was a Jew, not because of any 
Jewish rite of circumcision, that he received the blessing of 
God. It was purely through the exercise of faith. The Jew- 
ish rite of circumcision was rather the outward symbol that 
he had already received the blessing of God. The modern 
application of this passage is simply that faith is of far more 
consequence, in order to obtain spiritual blessings, than be- 
longing to any privileged race, or nation, or than resting 
in any mere ceremony for acceptance with God. 

Heavenly Father: I thank Thee that Thou art offering for- 
giveness and a fresh start to all those zdw exercise faith, 
wherever or zvhoever they may be. I thank Thee that all 
the world may turn unto Thee and find peace through be- 
lieving. 

Tuesday, Thirty-ninth Week, Romans 4:13-25. 

13 For not through the law was the promise to Abra- 
ham or to his seed, that he should be heir of the world, 
but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if they 
that are of the law are heirs, faith is made void, and the 
promise is made of none effect: 15 for the law worketh 
wrath; but whers there is no law, neither is there trans- 
gression. 16 For this cause it is of faith, that it may be 
according to grace; to the end that the promise may be 
sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, 
but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is 
the father of us all 17 (as it is written, A father of many 
nations have I made thee) before him whom he believed, 
sven God, who giveth life to the dead, and calleth the 



EPISTLES TO TIMOTHY, ETC. 



things that are not, as though they were. 18 Who in 
hope believed against hope, to the end that he might be- 
come a father of many nations, acording to that which 
had been spoken, So shall thy seed be. 19 And without 
being weakened in faith he considered his own body now 
as good as dead (he being about a hundred years old), 
and the deadness of Sarah's womb: 20 yea, looking unto 
the promise of God, he wavered not through unbelief, but 
waxed strong through faith, giving glory to God. 21 and 
being fully assured that, what he had promised, he was 
able also to perform. 22 Wherefore also it was reckoned 
unto him for righteousness. 23 Now it was not written 
for his sake alone, that it was reckoned unto him: 24 but 
for our sake, also, unto whom it shall be reckoned, who 
believe on him that raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 
25 who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised 
for our justification. 

The fundamental relation between a soul and God is not 
established by moral achievement, it is consciously estab- 
lished by trust in the love of God made manifest through 
Jesus Christ. That is to say, we do not win our sonship 
by moral endeavor, we inherit it by faith. Sonship with 
God is not a prize awaiting the morally successful, it is a 
present fact to be turned into a working reality in life 
through the persistent exercise of faith in the character 
and word of God. 

Faith will be assailed by all kinds of sinister suggestions, 
but if it staggers not through unbelief it will inevitably in- 
herit all the promises of God. Faith must fight for its own. 
It must put down everything that would paralyze its grasp 
of divine realities. This is the battlefield of faith. 

Heavenly Father: preserve my faith against all that assails 
it. Keep it from surrendering to the false voices which 
would discourage and destroy it. May my faith never stag- 
ger even when there is nothing to encourage it except Thy 
Holy Word; help me to be content with Thy promise. 

Wednesday, Thirty-ninth Week, Romans 5 :l-2. 

1 Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace 
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; 2 through whom 
also we have had our access by faith into this grace 
wherein we stand; and we rejoice in hope of the glory 
of God. 



200 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



Since faith is the means by which mankind enters into con- 
fident, glad, filial relations with God, then let us have peace 
with Him. Since Christ brings to us the grace of God, let 
us by faith enter into the enjoyment of all that it brings. 
Let us make it a blessed fact in the experience of this hour, 
that we are at peace with God. And when we enter into 
the confident enjoyment of peace, of having nothing between 
the soul and God, then we also are able to rejoice in all the 
coming blessings of eternity. When we are at peace with 
God, the thought of eternity ceases to inspire us with fear, 
with dread; on the contrary, the thought of eternity be- 
comes an inspiration, a source of cheer. Eternity instead of 
being a mortgage upon present life, becomes an endowment 
of it. 

Thursday, Thirty-ninth Week, Romans, 5:3-5. 

3 And not only so, but we also rejoice in our tribula- 
tions: knowing that tribulation worketh stedfastness; 4 
and stedfastness approvedness; and approvedness, hope: 
5 and hope putteth not to shame; because the love of 
God hath been shed abroad in our hearts through the 
Holy Spirit which was given unto us. 

When eternity becomes a glorious reality to the soul, 
when it bears messages which fill the heart with tran- 
scendent hope, then present tribulation becomes more than 
bearable. Then some great characters like St. Paul can 
even glory in trouble. Instead of eternity becoming an 
enemy of strong, cheerful living amidst present hard facts, 
it makes lives strong and even radiant. It is a false use of 
the eternal world when it makes lives weak, and unpractical, 
in relation to the difficulties of our present common life in 
this world. God never meant that the future life should 
weaken our powers in dealing with this present life. God 
meant exactly the opposite, that those who had everlasting 
hopes should be the strongest, the most hopeful, the most 
patient, that the children of Christian hope should keep the 
heart of the world from growing old. 

Divine Master: may the things which Thou art preparing 
for me in eternity not make me a sad and dreary person in 
the midst of common duties and trials, but rather may the 



EPISTLES TO TIMOTHY, ETC. 201 



thought of what Thou art preparing for me make me heroic 
in present difficulty, gracious in trial, tender and strong in 
sympathy and' service. 

Friday. Thirty-ninth Week, Romans, 5:6-11. 

6 For while we were yet weak, in due season Christ died 
for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will 
one die; for peradventure for the good man some one 
I would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his own 
I love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ 
died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his 
I blood, shall we be saved from the wrath of God through 
I him. 10 For if, while we were enemies, we were recom- 
ciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, 
being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life; 11 and not 
only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord 
Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the 
reconciliation. 

It is not because of any inherent superiority on the part 
of the Christian that his life is filled with eternal hopes and 
with the joys arising out of them, it is all of a divine grace. 
Christ gave His life for the worst of men, because He saw 
the moral possibilities of all. He read beneath the ordinary 
human judgments of good and bad, and saw the infinite value 
of any soul. The problem of Christ was the moral recov- 
ery of all lives, bringing them back into the normal order. 
And in the achievement of this great end there are two 
stages — the reconciliation of the soul to God, and its spiritual 
development. Christ reconciles the soul to God through His 
death, and He spiritually develops it through the soul's fel- 
lowship with His living presence, and such possibilities are 
open to all men. 

Saturday, Thirty-ninth Week, Romans 5:12-21. 

12 Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the 
world, and death through sin; and so death passed unto 
all men, for that all sinned: — 13 for until the law sin was 
in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, 
even over them that had not sinned after the likeness of 
Adam's transgression, who is a figure of him that was to 
come. 15 But not as the trespass, so also is the free gift. 



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PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



For if by the trespass of the one the many died, much 
more did the grace of God, and the gift by the grace of 
the one man, Jesus Christ, abound unto the many. 16 And 
not as through one that sinned, so is the gift: for the 
judgment came of one unto condemnation, but the free 
gift came of many trespasses unto justification. 17 For if, 
by the trespass of the one $ death reigned through the one; 
much more shall they that receive the abundance of grace 
and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the 
one, even Jesus Christ. 18 So then as through one tres- 
pass the judgment came unto all men to condemnation; 
even so through one act of righteousness the free gift 
came unto all men to justification of life. 19 For as 
through the one man's disobedience the many were made 
sinners, even so through the obedience of the one shall 
the many be made righteous. 20 And the law came in be- 
sides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin 
abounded, grace did abound more exceedingly: 21 that, as 
sin reigned in death, even so might grace reign through 
righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. 

Sunday, Fortieth Week, Romans 6:1-4. 

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, 
that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. We who died to 
sin, how shall we any longer live therein? Or are ye ig- 
norant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus 
were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried there- 
fore with him through baptism into death; that like as 
Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the 
father, so we also might walk in newness of life. 

The grace of God is not a message of good-natured in- 
dulgence towards disobedient lives who are content to save 
their souls from future penalties while they live in the 
present in indolent trust in the divine goodness. That is a 
travesty of the gospel. If it were true, it would cast re- 
flections upon the charactr of God, for it would be a scheme 
to cut the nerve of character, and at the same time to lull 
the soul to sleep with thoughts of God whose love had no 
ethical reality. 

But the purpose of God in the gospel of His grace is 
diametrically opposed to moral lethargy. The gospel ex- 
ists in order that men who are conscious of their sins may 
here and now get away from them, from their tyranny and 
threatening. The gospel is the glorious message of a fresh 



EPISTLES TO TIMOTHY, ETC. 263 

start for those who are broken-hearted over their failures, 
and long to walk in newness of life. The gospel is not 
an escape from character, it establishes the very foundations 
1 of renewed character. 

As sin and its consequences proceed from universal facts 
! in human nature, as sin is not something confined to one 
, nation, is not the peculiarity of any one race, but is a world- 
i wide characteristic, therefore so must redemption proceed 
upon universal principles. It is only consistency with the 
great truth that there is no respect of persons with God. 
If sin is a universal fact, then salvation must also be a uni- 
versal message. Christ is not merely the divine answer to 
the needs of one race of men, He is the divine answer to 
the needs of all races. Christ stands over against the large, 
elemental, human shortcomings, with the dynamic of uni- 
versal, moral and spirtual recovery and progress. 

Monday, Fortieth Week, Romans 6 :5-13. 

5 For if we have become united with him in the like- 
ness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his 
resurrection; 6 knowing this, that our old man was cru- 
cified with him, that the body of sin might be done away, 
that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin; 7 for 
I he that hath died is justified from sin. 8 But if we died 
with Christ,, we believe that we shall also live with him; 
9 knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth 
no more; death no more hath dominion over him. 10 
For the death that he died, he died unto sin once: but 
the life that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Even so 
reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive 
unto God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign 
in your mortal body, that ye should obey the lusts there- 
of: 13 neither present your members unto sin as instru- 
ments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves unto 
God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instru- 
ments of righteousness unto God. 

To participate in the grace of God means to die to the 
old life, it is to put the cross of Christ between oneself and 
the entire past. It is to disenfranchise the past, to dare to 
reckon the ambitions and habits and desires of the sinful 
past as dead. To dare to forget the things which are behind 
I by the bold venture of faith. And to participate in the gos- 
j pel of divine grace also means the springing up of the new 



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life within the soul, the Christ life, the resurrection life, the 
life that shall never die. And that life grows as room is 
given it to expand, as its instincts live in the atmosphere of 
the presence of God through communion, as its instincts are 
obeyed in thought and conduct. The dauble process of 
death and life go on in the soul at the same time, and the 
health of the renewed life depends upon the completeness of 
the abandonment of the old life. The whole process is pos- 
sessed by the exactitude of biological law. 

Heavenly Father: may I be able to reckon the old life as 
dead. May I have the determination to make the crucifixion 
complete, through surrender to the instincts of the renewed 
life. I would have the eternal life in me bring every thought 
into captivity to the mind of Christ. 

Last eve I paused beside a blacksmith's, door, 
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime; 

Then looking in, I saw upon the floor 
Old hammers worn with beating years of time. 

"How many anvils have you had," said I, 
"To wear and batter all these hammers so?" 

"Just one," said he; and then, with twinkling eye, 
"The anvil wears the hammers out, you know." 

And so, thought I, the anvil of God's Word 
For ages skeptic blows have beat upon; 

Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard, 
The anvil is unharmed^-the hammers gone. 



SECTION X. 

Epistle to the Romans 

Tuesday, Fortieth Week. Romans 6:14-23. 

14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye 
are not under law, but under grace. 

15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not un- 
der law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, 
that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto 
obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether 
of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 
17 But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants 
of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form 
of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; 18 and being 
made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness. 
19 I speak after the manner of men because of the in- 
firmity of your flesh: for as ye presented your members 
as servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, 
even so now present your members as servants to right- 
eousness unto sanctification. 20 For when ye were serv- 
ants of sin, ye were free in regard of righteousness. 21 
What fruit then had ye at that time in the things where- 
of ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is 
death. 22 But now being made free from sin, and be- 
come servants to God, ye have your fruit unto sancti- 
fication, and the end eternal life. 23 For the wages of 
sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in 
Christ Jesus our Lord. 

The gospel when it is received into an honest heart means 
freedom, not freedom to sin, but freedom from the do- 
minion of sin. The despotism of sin has ceased in its vari- 
ous forms. That does not imply perfection, perfection 
would imply unerring judgment. It simply means that the 
Christian is free from the tyranny of an old principle of 
life which has been superseded by a new principle. Freedom 
from sin has been realized by servitude to righteousness. 

The result of the dominion of sin in a life is moral 
contraction of personality, the narrowing of one's world 
down to the things of time and sense, death; while the 



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PAUL IN EVERY DAY LIFE 



consequence of the reign of the law of righteousness is 
the expansion of personality, correspondence with more and 
more of the eternal world, one's world becoming more 
spacious, and fellowship with it becoming more real, intimate, 
joyous. 

Wednesday. Fortieth Week, Romans 7 :1-14. 

1 Or are ye ignorant, brethren (for I speak to men that 
know the law), that the law hath dominion over a 
man for so long time as he liveth? 2 For the woman 
that hath a husband is bound by law to the husband while 
he liveth; but if the husband die, she is discharged from 
the law of the husband. 3 So then if, while the husband 
liveth, she be joined to another man, she shall be called 
an adulteress: but if the husband die, she is free from 
the law, so that she is no adulteress, though she be joined 
to another man. 4. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also 
were made dead to the law through the body of Christ; 
that ye should be joined to another, even to him who 
was raised from the dead, that we might bring forth fruit 
unto God. 5 For when we w r ere in the flesh, the sinful 
passions, which were through the law, wrought in our 
members to bring forth fruit unto death. 6 But now we 
have been discharged from the law, having died to that 
wherein we were held; so that we serve in newness 
of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter. 

7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God for- 
bid. Howbeit, I had not known sin, except through the 
law: for I had not known coveting, except the law had 
said, Thou shalt not covet: 8 but sin, finding occasion, 
wrought in me through the commandment all manner of 
coveting: for apart from the law sin is dead. 9 And I 
was alive apart from the law once: but when the com- 
mandment came, sin revived, and I died; 10 and the com- 
mandment, which was unto life, this I found to be unto 
death; 11 for sin, finding occasion, through the com- 
mandment beguiled me, and through it slew me. 12 So 
that the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and 
righteous, and good. 13 Did then that which is good be- 
come death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might 
be shewn to be sin, by working death to me through 
that which is good: — that through the commandment sin 
might become exceeding sinful. 14 for we know that the 
law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin. 

The moral law had a great function to fulfil, it made 



EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 



207 



men understand the meaning of sin, it brought home to 
them the sense of personal guilt. But having fulfilled that 
enormously important function, the law must give place 
to Christ in order that the sin-stricken soul may progress 
from a sense of sin to a sense of peace and achievement. 
Without Christ the law could do nothing more for one 
who has received the sense of sin. It could not relieve the 
sense of sin, it could not live the life to realize its own 
moral demands. So that if the end that w r as in view by 
the institution of the law is to be reached, then those who 
were under its instruction must pass on to receive the 
message of Christ, ignoring the law because its teach- 
ing has been absorbed in the larger revelation of Christ. 
The transition from law to grace is thus demanded in the 
interests of moral progress. 

Thursday, Fortieth Week, Romans 7:15-25, 

15 For that which I do I know not: for not what I 
would, that do I practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 
But if what I would not, that I do, I consent unto the 
law that it is good. 17 So now it is no more I that do it, 
but sin which dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me, 
that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing: for to will 
is present with me, but to do that which is good is not. 
19 For the good which I would I do not: but the evil 
which I would not, that I practice. 20 But if what I would 
not, that I do, it is no more I that da it, but sin which 
dwelleth in me. 21 I find then the law, that, to me who 
would do good, evil is present. 22 For I delight in the 
law of God after the inward man: 23 but I see a different 
law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, 
and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which 
is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! who 
shall deliver me out of the body of this death? 25 I thank 
God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then I myself 
with the mind indeed, serve the law of God; but with the 
flesh the law of sin. 

While the mind assents to the reality and majesty of 
the moral law it cannot rise to its demands, because of 
the strength of the lower nature. The moral law makes 
a demand which the mind recognizes to be right, and at 
the same time the baser self defeats the desire to realize 
this moral imperative. However, the desire to do accord- 



20S 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



ing to what one knows to be right is a great step toward 
Christ, although the knowledge of right plus the de- 
sire to do right only intensifies the agony of failure. It was 
in such circumstances that St. Paul discovered — and many 
others have discovered since — the supreme place for Christ in 
the unequal moral struggle within. And when one knows 
the agony of moral failure, and the all-sufficiency of Christ 
dawns upon the disconsolate mind, then there is an instinctive 
feeling of gratitude to God. But thanksgiving to God can 
only spring out of a heart that has known the reality of 
shortcoming and the coming of divine aid. 

Divine Master, I have learned zvhat I ought to do, and 
have had strong desire to do it, yet my mind and heart have 
been smitten by a sense of failure. But in my sorrow Thou 
hast made my heart to sing by the coming of Thy peace 
and power, 

Friday, Fortieth Week, Romans 8:1-4. 

1 There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them 
that are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of 
life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin 
and of death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that 
it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Sor 
in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin 
in the flesh: 4 that the ordinance of the law might be 
fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after 
the spirit. 

We speak with more or less scientific accuracy of the 
law of heredity, but there is in Christ working by the 
Holy Spirit in us an antithetic heredity. It is not a breach 
of natural law, it is the confirmation of it. One law super- 
sedes another law. We see this plainly in nature. The 
law at work in the ascending airship cancels the law of 
gravitation. And the power that is in Christ introduced 
into our lives through obedience to the promptings of the 
Holy Spirit cancels the operation of the law of sin, which 
is a kind of gravitation in the moral sphere. And this 
triumphant law working within the believer achieves so 
much more than the moral law of "thou shalt" and "thou 
shalt not," for it is not a mere negative message of con- 
demnation, it is the realization of what the moral code 



EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 



209 



demands but does not help in bringing about. 

Saturday, Fortieth Week, Romans 8:5-13. 

5 For they that are after the flesh mind the things 
of the flesh; but they that are after the spirit the things 
of the spirit. 6 For the mind of the flesh is death; but 
the mind of the spirit is life and peace: 7 because the 
mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is hot 
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be: 

8 and they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be 
that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. But if any man 
hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And 
if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but 
the spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the 
Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth 
in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall 
give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit 
that dwelleth in you. 

12 So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, 
to live after the flesh: 13 for if ye live after the flesh, 
ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds 
of the body, ye shall live. 

The consent of the mind to the promptings of the lower 
nature becomes carnal-mindedness, though the outward life 
and reputation may not be involved in the process of inner 
deterioration. Thoughts are the formation of character, and 
the presence or absence of spirituality all depends upon 
which power has captured and is dominating the mind, 
whether the baser self, or the will of the Holy Spirit. The 
continual supremacy of the flesh or spirit determines the 
tendency of character. And tendency is one of the great 
words in the realm of character. It is a blessed fact that 
if the tendency of the mind is downward it may be changed 
by surrender to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. But 
that attitude of mental obedience must be maintained, and 
as it is maintained the tendency of character is reversed. 

Divine Spirit, I thank Thee that Thou art willing to take 
possession of my thoughts, I here and now give Thee my 
mind that it may obey Thy suggestions. Keep me faithful, 
preserve me from carelessness, disobedience, so that I may 
indeed be spiritually minded. 1 



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PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



Sunday, Forty-first Week, Romans 8:14-17. 

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these 
are sons of God. 15 For ye received not the spirit of 
bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of 
adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit 
himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are chil- 
dren of God: 17 and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, 
and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with 
him. that we may be also glorified with him. 

As one yields his inner life to the Holy Spirit potential 
Christian character is changed into the actual experiences 
of a son of God. Certain facts begin to dawn upon the 
mind. There is a sense of the divine Fatherhood. There 
is the sense of being a son, confirmed by the voice of 
the Spirit. There is also the sense of being an heir, of 
having an inheritance, of having great and glorious pros- 
pects. This spiritual consciousness is simply the gradual 
unfolding of the normal Christian life. For the Chris- 
tian life has a natural history, having distinct instincts 
and intuitions just as any other life has. The instinct 
for summer is in the swallow. Every form of life has its 
peculiar instincts. And most of all the soul of man has 
instincts which reveal themselves in the unfolding of the 
inner life. It is all perfectly natural, and inevitable, if the 
soul is moving toward its true destiny. 

Monday, Forty-first Week, Romans 8 :18-25. 

18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time 
are not worthy to be compared with the glory which 
shall be revealed to us-ward. 19 For the earnest expec- 
tation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the 
sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to van- 
ity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who sub- 
jected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also shall be 
delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty 
of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that 
the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain to- 
gether until now. 23 And not only so, but ourselves also, 
who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we our- 
selves groan within ourselves, waiting for our adoption, 
to wit, the redemption of our body. 24 For in hope were 
we saved; but hope that is seen is not hope: for who 
hopeth for that which he seeth? 25 But if we hope for 



EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 21 x 



that which we see not, then do we with patience wait 
for it. 

The expansion of the spiritual life is a painful process, 
that is to say, it is an achievement in the face of subtle, 
and continued, opposition. It is a perpetual battle, but the 
results make the battle far more than worth while. For 
there will be a revelation of divine glory in the believer, 
not to his eyes, it will not be a mere spectacle to look at, 
but a personal experience, a personal experience wrought 
within oneself of transfigured life. All the created world 
waits for that great consummation. The spiritual triumph, 
the moral completeness, of the human soul is the crown and 
flower of creation. The whole story of the travail of nature 
finds its meaning, and climax, in what shall be achieved 
in human souls. For the present, that work of the spirit of 
God within is veiled by the physical life, with its frailties, 
its limitations. But when the body is cast aside, having 
served its purpose, then shall be revealed that abiding reality 
— the triumphant immortal soul clothed with its spiritual 
body. 

Tuesday, Forty-first Week, Romans 8 :26-27. 

26 And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our in- 
firmity: for we know not how to pray as we ought; but 
the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groan- 
ings which cannot be uttered; 27 and he that searcheth 
the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, be- 
cause he maketh intercession for the saints according to 
the will of God. 

Not only does the Spirit of God develop the soul of 
man in the direction of human relationships. He also 
urges the soul Godward. He not only expands charac- 
ter towards visible, practical, social realities, but also to- 
wards the eternal. The Spirit prompts us to pray, and 
we may be disobedient to that prompting as well as to 
the suggestion that we do an act of human kindness. 

The Spirit is the greater intercessor, and He engages in 
the ministry of intercession through those lives who are 
obedient to His overtures. It is not enough to obey the 
Spirit's impulse to give to missions, we must also obey 
His pleadings that we become the channel of His inter- 



212 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



cessions. And we cannot plead that we do not know 
how to engage in that vastly important ministry, for if 
we lend our minds and hearts to Him He will pray 
through us. We must exercise faith that the Spirit prays 
through us as well as that He speaks through us. 

Wednesday, Forty-first Week, Romans 8 :28-39. 

28 And we know that to them that love God all things 
work together for good, even to them that are called ac- 
cording to his purpose. 29 For whom he foreknew, he 
also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his 
Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: 
SO and whom he foreordained, them he also called: and 
whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he 
justified, them he also glorified. 

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God 
is for us, who is against us? 32 He that spared not his 
own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he 
not also with him freely give us all things? 33 Who 
shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is 
God that justifieth; 34 who is he that condemneth? 
It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised 
from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who 
also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate 
us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, 
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or 
sword? 36 Even as it is written, 

For Thy sake we are killed all the day Ion?; 
We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors 
through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that 
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor 
things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor 
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able 
to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ 
Jesus our Lord. 

Nothing can defeat the predestined purpose of God in 
the lives of His obedient children. He predestined them 
to be conformed to the image of Christ. And no intrigue 
of men, no human hatred, no severity of the elements of 
nature, no storm, or famine, or disease, can injure the 
work of God in a true believer. Nay, more than that, 
every apparent conspiracy against a God-possessed life 
can only succeed in making it more Godlike. The Chris- 
tian is not only a conqueror, he is more than a con- 



EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 



213 



queror, for the force flung against him becomes part of 
his strength. The weapon thrown at him becomes part 
of his armor. But while the so-called misfortunes of life 
are making some more refined, more gracious, more 
Christlike, the same influences are making others hard 
and cynical. It all depends upon whether the Spirit has been 
permitted to shed abroad the love of God in the heart. 

Thursday. Forty-first Week, Romans 9 :l-5. 

1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience 
bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have 
great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. 3 For I 
could wish that I myself were anathema from Christ for 
my brethren's sake, my kinsmen accord to the flesh; 
4 who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, and the glory, 
and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the 
service of God, and the promises; 5 whose are the fathers, 
and of whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is 
over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. 

So glorious was the standing of the Christian believer 
in the estimate of St. Paul, and so deep was his love for 
his fellow Hebrews, that he was prepared for the most 
dreadful of experiences if he could help them to share 
in the blessings of the gospel. A great love for one's fel- 
lows, and a great sense of what Christ bestows upon the 
soul, are the elements in a true enthusiasm in Christian 
service. And it must be great drudgery, unless one has 
these influences acting upon his work, turning it into a 
holy passion. 

It is when one knows from his own experience the vast 
difference that Christ has made in his own life, and when 
he sees what his dissatisfied, and disillusioned fellow men 
have missed, and when he has a deep conviction about it 
that one is ready to make sacrifices in order to proclaim 
the unsearchable riches of Christ wherever he is called to 
render his service. 

Divine Spirit, May I be so possessed by Thy power that 
the gospel of Christ shall become more real to me, and by the 
sense of the loss my fellowmen suffer without Christ that 
I shall be ready for whatever sacrifice may be necessary 
in order to proclaim the message of grace. 



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PAUL IK EVERYDAY LIFE 



Friday, Forty-first Week, Romans 9 :6-13. 

6 But it is not as though the word o£ God hath come 
to nought. For they are not all Israel, that are of Is- 
rael: 7 neither, because they are Abraham's seed, are 
they all children: but, in Isaac shall thy seed be called* 
8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh that are chil- 
dren of God; but the children of the promise are reck- 
oned for a seed. 9 For this is a word of promise, Ac- 
cording to this season will I come, and Sarah shall have 
a son. 10 And not only so; but Rebecca also having con- 
ceived by one, even by our father Isaac — 11 for the chil- 
dren being not yet born, neither having done anything 
good or bad, that the purpose of God according to elec- 
tion might stand, not of works, but of Him that calleth, 

12 it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 

13 Even as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. 

St. Paul here declares that there are two kinds of chil- 
dren of Abraham, those who are descendants according 
to the flesh, and those who are his actual children through 
the exercise of that same faith which swayed his life. 

And it may be said in the same way that there are two 
kinds of Christians: those who have been born in Chris- 
tian lands, who bear the Christian name, who accept the 
Christian creed, but have neither the Christian spirit nor 
the Christian experience; while on the other hand, there 
are those who are Christ's true disciples, having His spirit 
and an experience of His grace; they may live in heathen 
surroundings, they may have very imperfect knowledge 
of the truths of Christianity, but the living marks of true 
discipieship are upon them. 

Divine Master, May I not deceive myself into thinking 
that the Christian privileges in the midst of which I live 
make me of themselves a Christian. Keep me ever remem- 
bering that only as Thy life grows in me, as I live in 
obedient union with Thee, only thus am I really Thy disciple. 

Saturday, Forty-first Week, Romans 9 :14-24. 

14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness 
with God? God forbid. 15 For He saith to Moses, I will 
have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have com- 
passion on whom I have compassion. 16 So then it is 



EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 



215 



not o£ him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of 
God that hath mercy. 17 For the Scripture saith unto 
Pharaoh, For this very purpose did I raise thee up, that 
I might shew in thee my power, and that my name might 
be published abroad in all the earth. 18 So then he hath 
mercy on whom he will, and whom he will he hard- 
eneth. 

19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth He still find 
fault? For who withstandeth his will? 20 Nay but, O 
man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the 
thing formed say to him that formed it, Why didst thou 
make me thus? 21 Or hath not the potter a right over 
the clay, from the same lump to make one part of a vessel 
unto honor, and another unto dishonor? 22 What if God, 
willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power 
known, endured with much longsuffering vessels of wrath 
fitted unto destruction] 23 and that he might make 
known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, 
which he afore prepared unto glory, 24 even us, whom 
he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the 
Gentiles? 

The sovereignty of God makes it impossible for any 
race, or sect, to claim a monopoly of His favor and mercy. 
The Hebrew race could not claim an exclusive appropria- 
tion of spiritual blessings. The divine sovereignty re- 
fuses to be narrowed down to the narrow limits of men's 
arbitrary constructions. And the sovereignty of God is a 
great reality in the consciousness of the believer. The 
reign of Christ in the soul is the reign of the sovereignty 
of God. It is the practical carrying out of the suprem- 
acy of the divine will and purpose in human life. And 
the practical attitude towards it is to bow before it rather 
than to discuss the metaphysical relation of it to the sense 
of freedom. It is enough to be conscious of the fact, and 
to trust the reliability of our consciousness, that we are 
free to live under the sovereign will of God. 

Sunday, Forty-second Week, Romans 9:25-33. 

25 As he saith also in Hosea, 

I will call that my people, which was not my people; 
And her beloved, that was not beloved, 

26 And it shall be, that in the place where it was said 

unto them, Ye are not my people. 
There shall they be called sons of the living God. 



2l6 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



27 And Isaiah crieth concerning Israel, If the number 
of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is 
the remnant that shall be saved: 28 for the Lord will 
execute his word, upon the earth, finishing it and cutting 
it short. 29 And, as Isaiah hath said before, 

Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, 
We had become as Sodom, and had been made like 
unto Gomorrah. 

30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who 
followed not after righteousness, attained to righteous- 
ness, even the righteousness which is of faith: 31 but Is- 
rael, following after a law of righteousness, did not ar- 
rive at that law. 32 Wherefore? Because they sought it 
not by faith, but as it were by works. They stumbled 
at the stone of stumbling; 33 even as it is written, 

Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a 
rock of offence: 

And he that believeth on him shall not be put to 
shame. 

The Hebrew people clung to their narrower concep- 
tion of righteousness, against the revelation of the larger 
purpose of God to make men righteous by faith. And by 
so doing, they not only failed to realize righteousness in 
their own national life, but they ceased to be the point 
of contact between the revelation of God and the need of 
the world. God has again and again had to reveal His 
progressive purpose to the world through what might 
be called an outside agency. The people who should 
have been the natural channel of divine expression were 
too obtuse, too much enslaved, and blinded, by tradition 
to grasp the fresh message of God, and God had to choose 
channels which were not so enslaved, who, with all their 
faults and crudities, were alert to the divine mind upon 
the particular message He would communicate. How 
much fresh light has broken in upon the world through 
what has been called outside, irregular, channels! 

Divine Spirit, May I not be so enslaved by the past, by 
the letter, that I shall fail to grasp the meaning of Thy 
message in the present. Keep me from persecuting, from 
making it harder for those who have vision and courage 
enough to translate Thy purposes in the conrmon life of to- 
day. 



EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 



217 



Monday, Forty-second Week, Romans 10 :l-8. 

1 Brethren , my heart's desire and my supplication to 
j God is for them, that they may be! saved. 2 For I bear 
them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not ac- 
j cording to knowledge. 3 For being ignorant of God's 
I righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they 
did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 
4 For Christ is the end of the law unto righteousness 
to every one that believeth. 5 For Moses writeth that 
the man that doeth the righteousness which is of the law 
shall live thereby. 6 But the righteousness which is of 
faith saith thus, Say not in thy heart, Who shall ascend 
into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down:) 7 or, Who 
j shall descend into the abyss? (that is, to bring Christ up 
from the dead). 8 But what saith it? The word is nigh 
thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word 
j of faith, which we preach: 

An individual, a sect, a nation, may be exceedingly zeal- 
ous on behalf of ideas which have no place in the di- 
vine purpose for the present time. Earnestness of pur- 
pose may be associated with the gravest errors. It is 
possible to fight hard for ideas which are entirely out 
of touch with the needs of the time. It is also possible 
to be sighing for a power to come into the midst of the 
! problems of the world, when that power is already there. 
The Hebrews of St. Paul's day were earnestly attached to a 
form of religious life which had been superseded by the 
I revelation of Christ. They were looking for a deliverer to 
I come who had already appeared. He was in their midst. 

But that is also true today in the Christian Church. 
There are many now whose religious ideas and life are 
pre-Christian, they live as if Christ had not come. There 
are many who are waiting for Christ to come into their 
lives in the form of an experience which they have pic- 
! tured to their minds. And because He does not come 
according to that preconceived notion, they think He 
has not yet come. But as a matter of fact He is with 
them now, and His presence is a call for faith. 

Tuesday, Forty-second Week, Romans 10 :9-12. 
9 because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus 



2l8 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised 
him from the dead, thou shalt be saved: 10 for with the 
heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the 
mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the 
Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not 
be put to shame. 12 For there is no distinction between 
Jew and Greek: for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is 
rich unto all that call upon him: 

The Christ of history and the Christ of Christian ex- 
perience are one. And the Christ of inner experience 
must also become the Christ who is outwardly confessed. 
To fail to publicly avow Christ as the Lord of our life 
is to fail to let Christ come into His own in us. It is to 
control Christ rather than to let Christ control us. It is 
to arrest His rule in us. There is a most vital relation 
between inner, secret faith in Christ and outward testi- 
mony concerning Him. Testimony confirms faith. It 
confirms even the intellectual process of trust. It makes 
the truth of believing clearer to the mind. And testi- 
mony commits the character to Christlikeness. It de- 
mands consistency. It compels the soul to watch and 
pray. And there is no adequate substitute for that com- 
pulsion. 

Wednesday, Forty-second Week, Romans 10:13-21. 

13 For, whosoever shall call upon the name of the 
Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on 
him in whom they have not believed? and how shall 
they believe in him whom they have not heard? and 
how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 and how 
shall they preach, except they be sent? even as it is writ- 
ten, How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad 
tidings of good things! 

16 But they did not all hearken to the glad tidings. 
For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 
17 So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word 
of Christ. 18 But I say, Did they not hear? Yea, verily, 
Their sound went out into all the earth, 
And their words unto the ends of the world. 
19 But I say, Did Israel not know? First Moses saith, 
I will provoke you to jealousy with that which is no 
nation, 

With a nation void of understanding will I anger 
you. 



EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 



20 And Isaiah is very bold, and saith, 

I was found of them that sought me not; 

I became manifest unto them that asked not of me. 

21 But as to Israel he saith, All the day long did I 
spread out my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying 
people. 

Christianity is a world religion both in the purpose of 
God and in the inherent needs of humanity. And all who 
exercise faith in Christ, will immediately find the redeem- 
ing- power of divine grace at work in character. 

Therefore, the responsibility of knowing the power and 
purpose of Christ is absolute. Nc Christian dare ignore 
the obligation of propagandism. To take a definite part 
in the problems of the spreading of the gospel is a vital 
part of personal religion. It is not optional, personal 
inclination has nothing to do with the case. Every Chris- 
tian must take his share in the world's program of Christ. 
His personal spiritual development is bound up in it. 
What sphere he shall occupy, which phase of the vast 
undertaking he shall be directly in touch with is a mat- 
ter to be decided by inner obedience and outward provi- 
dences. But the solemn fact is that every believer must 
have some share in some form in the evangelization of 
the world. 

Thursday, Forty-second Week, Romans 11 :l-6. 

1 I say then, Did God cast off his people? God for- 
bid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abra- 
ham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not cast off 
his people which he foreknew. Or know ye not what 
the Scripture saith of Elijah? how he pleadeth with 
God against Israel. 3 Lord, they have killed thy pro- 
phets, they have digged down thine altars; and I am 
left alone, and they seek my life, 4 But what saith the 
answer of God unto him? I have left for myself seven 
thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal. 
5 Even so then at this present time also there is a rem- 
nant according to the election of grace. 6 But if it is 
by grace, it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no 
more grace. 

St. Paul recognized that there was a section of his race 
which had true spiritual discernment. He did not fail to 



220 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



see realty where it existed. He conquered the tempta- 
tion, to which all enthusiasts are liable, to condemn with- 
out discrimination. The apostle saw those in the Jewish 
church who were living above and beyond the system 
to which they belonged. It is always a mark of true 
leadership to be able to see the best in that system with 
which he himself is not associated, and concerning which 
he has strong convictions. To have strong views con- 
cerning the error in another system, and yet not to be 
blind to truth that is in it, to recognize those in the sys- 
tem who are above it is to be the best helper of the situa- 
tion. Sometimes the cause of Christ is injured by the 
lack of the recognition of this principle, on the part of 
those who have strong convictions, but who lack large 
discernment. 

Friday, Forty-second Week, Romans 11:7-17. 

7 What then? That which Israel seeketh for, that he 
obtained not; but the election obtained it, and the rest 
were hardened: 8 according as it is written, God gave 
them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, 
and ears that they should not hear, unto this very day. 

9 And David saith, 

Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, 

And a stumblingblock, and a recompense unto them: 

10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, 

And bow thou down their back always. 

11 I say then, Did they stumble that they might fall? 
God forbid: but by their fall salvation is come unto the 
Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy. 12 Now if 
their fall is the riches of the world, and their loss 
the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness? 

13 But I speak to you that are Gentiles. Inasmuch 
then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I glorify my min- 
istry: 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy 
them that are my flesh, and may save some of them. 15 
For if the casting away of them is the reconciling of the 
world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from 
the dead? 16 And if the first fruit is holy, so is the 
lump: and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 But 
if some of the branches were broken off, and thou being 
a wild olive, wast grafted in among them, and didst be- 
come partaker with them of the root of the fatness of the 
olive tree: 



HPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 



The apostle contends that the failure of the Jews to 
rise to the purposes of God in them, and through them, 
is not to be looked upon as an unmixed evil. The sov- 
ereignty of God would turn it to high uses. It would be 
the occasion for the spiritual enrichment of the Gentiles, 
and the enrichment of the Gentiles would act as a spur 
upon the Jews to seek once more that which they had 
rejected. 

Faith in God thus leads us to look for the providence 
which may be working through an individual or national 
failure, or even sin. For example, the overruling Provi- 
dence of God turned the sinful life of Augustine into 
one of conspicuous sanctity and service. Great sinners 
have been turned into great saints, perhaps all the greater 
saints because of the deep penitence over great sin. But 
this does not indicate that such a life is as acceptable in 
the sight of God as one who had never wandered into 
deep transgression. It simply indicates that God over- 
rules sin by making it serve His larger purpose. 

Saturday, Forty-second Week, Romans 11 :18-25. 

18 Glory not over the branches: but if thou gloriest, it 
is not thou that bearest the root, but the root thee. 19 
Thou wilt say then, Branches were broken off, that I 
might be grafted in. 20 Well; by their unbelief they were 
broken off, and thou standest by thy faith. Be not high- 
minded, but fear: 21 for if God spared not the natural 
branches, neither will he spare thee. 22 Behold then the 
goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, 
severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou con- 
tinue in his goodness; otherwise thou also shalt be cut 
off. 23 And they also, if they continue not in their un- 
belief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them 
in again. 24 For if thou wast cut out of that which is 
by nature a wild olive tree, and wast grafted contrary 
to nature into a good olive tree; how much more shall 
these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into 
their own olive tree? 

25 For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this 
mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits, that a 
hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until the fulness 
of the Gentiles be come in. 

The Gentiles are here warned against pride on account 



222 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



of their spiritual advantage over the Hebrews. It re- 
quired great humility and obedience for the Gentiles to 
escape the same temptation which overtook the Jews. 
While they were boasting they might be going the same 
way. The same temptation comes to some young Chris- 
tians to be spiritualty proud and critical, toward older 
Christians, who may lack their keen vision and enthu- 
siasm, and the fruit of such attitudes is often harsh and 
unbecoming censure, which unconsciously undermines 
their own spiritual reality. 

Spiritual pride has been the beginning of spiritual de- 
cline both in individuals and in churches. And the su- 
perior air which has been developed as the fruit of pride 
has driven Christians and churches apart, and the whole 
problem of Christian unity has been made more difficult and 
its solution more distant. 

Sunday, Forty-third Week, Romans 11 :26-36. 

26 and so all Israel shall be saved; even as it is written, 
There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer; 
He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 
27 And this is my covenant unto them, 
When I shall take away their sins. 

28 As touching the Gospel, they are enemies for your 
sake: but as touching the election, they are beloved for 
the fathers' sake. 29 For the gifts and the calling of 
God are not repented of. 30 For as ye in time past 
were disobedient to God, but now have obtained mercy 
by their disobedience, 31 even so have these also now 
been disobedient, that by the mercy shewn to you they 
also may now obtain mercy. 32 For God hath shut up 
all unto disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all 

33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and 
the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judg- 
ments, and his ways past tracing out! 34 For who hath 
known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His coun- 
sellor? 35 or who hath first given to him, and it shall 
be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and 
through him, and unto him, are all things. To him be 
the glory forever. Amen. 

Although the Hebrew people rejected the gospel, the 
apostle here expresses strong faith in their final turning 
to it. And the Gentile world should be an inspiration in 



EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 



223 



that direction. 

The Gentile owes the Jew much. And it should be dis- 
tressing to every Christian heart to see and hear of the 
unfairness with which the Jew is treated in certain parts 
of so-called Christendom. 

We owe the Jew the gospel, and all also owe him the 
merciful fruits of the gospel. The attitude of Christians 
toward Jews should include as part of the evangelical 
program Christian conduct as well as Christian teaching. 
And criticism can never take the place of self-sacrificing 
efforts to pay the debt to the Jews, whose religious his- 
tory and genius have helped to make the Gentile world 
what it is. Self-complacent superiority can be no part of 
the attitude of Christians who were lifted out of 
pagan darkness by the gospel of divine mercy not so 
very long ago as human progress reckons time. Chris- 
tian leadership would be greatly strengthened if there 
were men of the same calibre who would reciprocate the 
service of the Jewish St. Paul who gave his life for Gen- 
tiles. 

Monday, Forty-third Week, Romans 12:1-2, 

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of 
God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, ac- 
ceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. 2 And 
be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye trans- 
formed by the tenewing of your mind, that ye may prove 
what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 

The apostle here turns from large, comprehensive 
views of God's world purposes to consider individual 
Christian character and conduct. What has gone before 
is not distinct and separate from what is now under con- 
sideration. They are vitally connected. The doctrines of 
divine grace have their fruit in the highest character and 
conduct of the individual soul. To be the object of God's 
redeeming power is to be a pioneer of human progress. 
And before a Christian can become a factor in the prog- 
ress of the world, God must have possession of the whole 
man. His physical life must be a conductor of the spirit 
of Christ. It is through the bodily life that terminal con- 
nections are made with reality. Every physical mood, 
and appetite, must be under the control of Christ if the 



224 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



body is to play a Christian part. And in order to have 
the body do its effective work, it must be acted upon by 
a mind that is equally disciplined in its concentrated at- 
tention to the mind of Christ. 

Divine Master, I would yield my body to Thee, that it 
may be a channel fit for Thy use. May no excess mar it, 
and may no indolence dull its agile response to Thy sum- 
mons. 

Tuesday, Forty-third Week, Romans 12:3-8. 

3 For I say, through the grace that was given me, to ' 
every man that is among you, not to think of himself 
more highly than he ought to think; but so to think as 
to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to each 
man a measure of laith. 4 For even as we have many 
members in one body, and all the members have not the 
same office; 5 so we, who are many, are one body in 
Christ, and severally members one of another. 6 And 
having gifts differing according to the grace that was 
given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy accord- 
ing to the proportion of our faith; 7 or ministry, let us 
give ourselves to our ministry; or he that teacheth, to 
his teaching; 8 or he that exhorteth, to his exhorting; 
he that giveth, let him do it with liberality; he that ruleth, 
with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerful- 
ness. 

When the human mind is under the control of the di- 
vine Spirit there is no place for proud thoughts. Proud 
thoughts are born when the mind has run away from 
its task. And when the mind is obedient, it attends to 
its own business, it recognizes its own sphere of work. 
It does not try to do everything. It is true to its own 
gift. It is conscious of being responsible for one thing, 
and has no time to compare its importance with the exer- ' 
cise of some other gift. And it is through this mental 
concentration and obedience that variety of service is se- 
cured, each being true to his own talent. The criterion 
of true service is not mere inclination, but obedience to 
the divine mind. And it is thus that unity of spirit is 
secured amid the variety of occupation. 



EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 



22$ 



\ Divine Spirit, Help me to listen to Thy voice caling me 
1 to the service Thou hast for me. Keep me from being 
i critical of the service of others by the concentration of my 

mind upon my own work. And may I be content with Thy 
i work for me, and not envious of the work given to another 

to do. 

Wednesday, Forty-third Week, Romans 12:9-21. 

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which 
! is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10 In love of the 
brethren be tenderly affectioned one to another; in honor 
preferring one another; 11 in diligence not slothful; 
fervent in spirit; serving the Lo$d; 12 rejoicing in hope; 
patient in tribulation; continuing stedfastly in prayer; 
13 communicating to the necessities of the saints; given 
) to hospitality. 14 Bless them that persecute you; bless, 
and curse not. 15 Rejoice with them that rejoice; weep 
with them that weep. 16 Be of the same mind one to- 
ward another. Set not your mind on high things, but 
condescend to things that are lowly. Be not wise in your 
own conceits. 17 Render to no man evil for evil. Take 
thought for things honorable in the sight of all men, 
18 If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at 
peace with all men. 19 Avenge not yourselves, beloved, 
! but give place unto the wrath of God; for it is written, 
Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith 
the Lord. 20 But if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he 
thirst, give him to drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap 
coals of fire upon his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, 
but overcome evil with good. 

The Christian is called upon to be in a right relation 
to his own body through discipline, to his own mind 
through concentration, to his own work by humbly keep- 
ing to the exercise of his own gift, and also to be in 
j right relation to his neighbor by the exercise of Christian 
goodwill. Kindness is to be a fact in the heart and not 
merely an attitude of the manner. And kindness in the 
heart is to make connections with the outside world 
through kindness of manner. Brusqueness of manner is 
not to hide the fact of the kind heart, any more than 
kindness of manner is to be a substitute for it. 

Christian sympathy must know no churlish reserves of 
feeling or ungenerous withholding of expression. It must 



226 



PAUL m EVERYDAY LIFE 



be able to so far rise above self-consciousness as to re- 
joice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who 
weep. And that does not necessarily border upon insin- 
cerity so long as it is not a mere piece of acting, but the 
gracious self-forgetting attitude of putting oneself in an- 
other's place, which is first an act of the imagination and 
then of the sympathies. Imagination is the inspirer of 
sympathy. 

Thursday, Forty-third Week, Romans 13:1-14. 

I Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers; 
for there is no power but of God; and the powers that 
be are ordained of God. 2 Therefore he that resisteth 
the power, withstandeth the ordinance of God: and thev 
that withstand shall receive to themselves judgment. 
3 For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to 
the evil. And wouldest thou have no fear of the power? 
do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise from 
the same: 4 for he is a minister of God to thee for 
good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for 
he beareth not the sword in vain; for he is a minister of 
God, an avenger for wrath to him that doeth evil. 
5 Wherefore ye must needs be in subjection, not only 
because of the wrath, but also for conscience sake. 6 For 
for this cause ye pay tribute also; for they are ministers 
of God's service, attending continually upon this very 
thing. 7 Render to all their dues: tribute to whom trib- 
ute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; 
honor to whom honor. 

8 Owe no man anything, save to love one another; 
for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law. 
9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt 
not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not covet, and 
if there be any other commandment, it is summed up in 
this word, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy- 
self. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: love there- 
fore is the fulfilment of the law. 

II And this, knowing the season, that already it is 
time for you to awake out of sleep: for now is salvation 
nearer to us than when we first believed. 12 The night is 
far spent, and the day is at hand: let us therefore cast 
off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor 
of light. 13 Let us walk becomingly, as in the day; not in 
revelling and drunkenness, not in chambering and wan- 
tonness, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put ye on the 
Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, 



EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 



227 



to fulfil the lusts thereof. 

Christianity is the inspirer of patriotism, for it teaches 
that the state is a providence of God to the individual. 
Lack of patriotism is a failure to recognize the state as 
an instrument of God. The state cannot injure a good 
man in any real sense, it may be severe and even harsh, 
but to those who are right towards God all things work 
together for good. The state has a divine sanction which 
the Christian must be swift to recognize and to accept 
with becoming submission. And one of the first things 
which every man owes to the state is that he shall not 
sin against individuals who compose the state. Every 
sin against one's neighbor is a blow at the state, for it 
tends to complicate social problems and to retard prog- 
ress. 

And the motive for submission to the state, and for 
Christian behavior to one's neighbor, given here by St. 
Paul, is the nearness of the eternal world, the speedy 
coming of the great consummation. 

Divine Master, As Thy servant may I render patriotic 
service to my country, and in seeking to do this in large 
affairs may I not forget my duty in Christian behavior to 
individuals. May no injustice to individuals cancel my efforts 
to serve the state. 

Friday, Forty-third Week, Romans 14:1-23. 

1 But him that is weak in faith receive ye, yet not for 
decision of scruples. 2 One man hath faith to eat all 
things: but he that is weak eateth herbs. 3 Let not him 
that eateth set at nought him that eateth not; and let not 
him that eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath 
received him. 4 Who art thou that judgest the servant 
of another? to his own lord he standeth or falleth. Yea, 
he shall be made to stand; for the Lord hath power to 
make him stand. 5 One man esteemeth one day above 
another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let each 
man be fully assured in his own mind. 6 He that re- 
gardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord: and he that 
eateth, eateth unto the Lord, for he giveth God thanks: 
and he that eateth not, unto the Lord he eateth not, and 
giveth God thanks. 7 For none of us liveth to himself, 
and none dieth to himself. 8 For whether we live, we 



228 PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



live unto the Lord; or whether we die, we die unto the 
Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the 
Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ died, and lived again, 
that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 
10 But thou, why dost thou judge thy brother? or thou 
again, why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we 
shall all stand before the judgment-seat of God. 11 For 
it is written, 

As I live, saith the Lord, to me every knee shall bow, 
And every tongue shall confess to God. 

12 So then each one of us shall give account of himself 
to God. * 

13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: 
but judge ye this rather, that no man put a stumbling- 
block in his brother's way, or an occasion of falling. 

14 I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that 
nothing is unclean of itself: save that to him who ac- 
counteth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 

15 For if because of meat thy brother is grieved, thou 
walkest no longer in love. Destroy not with thy meat 
him for whom Christ died. 16 Let not then your good 
be evil spoken of: 17 for the kingdom of God is not eat- 
ing and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy 
in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he that herein serveth Christ 
is well-pleasing to God, and approved of men. 19 So then 
let us follow after things which make for peace, and 
things whereby we may edify one another. 20 Overthrow 
not for meat's sake the work of God. All things indeed 
are clean; howbeit it is evil for that man who eateth with 
offence. 21 It is good not to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, 
nor to do anything whereby thy brother stumbleth. 22 
The faith which thou hast have thou to thyself before 
God. Happy is he that judgeth not himself in that which 
he approveth. 23 But he that doubteth is condemned if 
he eat, because he eateth not of faith; and whatsoever is 
not of faith is sin. 

Just as the infant Jesus had to be protected against 
harm so that He might grow up to protect, so must the 
beginnings of the divine life in young Christians be pro- 
tected. Strong Christians must be the protectors of 
weaker Christians. And because weaker brethren can- 
not do, without injury to their conscience and spiritual 
life, what others can do they are not, therefore, to be ridi- 
culed for narrowness. On the other hand, those who ab- 
stain from certain things not in themselves wrong must 
not assume the attitude of censoriousness toward those 



EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 



220 



who do not agree with them. They must give the same 
charity which they expect. 

It is well to remember that we often have the future 
spiritual welfare of the young in our keeping by the 
example which we show them. Christian liberty must 
often be subdued into Christian consideration for others. 
The assertion of liberty, after all, is not so high an 
attitude toward our fellows as the practice of sacrifice. 

Blessed Lord and Master, Who wast protected by love 
and strength in the lonely manger, help me to protect the 
beginnings of divine life in all young people. May no ex- 
ample of mine injure their souls. May no act of mine make 
it difficult for them to grow up into Thy likeness. 

Saturday, Forty-third Week, Romans 15:1-13. 

I Now we that are strong ought to bear the infirm- 
ities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each 
one of us please his neighbor for that which is good, 
unto edifying. 3 For Christ also pleased not himself; 
but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that re- 
proached thee fell upon me. 4 For whatsoever things 
were written aforetime were written for our learning, 
that through patience and through comfort of the scrip- 
tures we might have hope. 5 Now the God of patience 
and of comfort grant you to be of the same mind one 
with another according to Christ Jesus: 6 that with one 
accord ye may with one mouth glorify the God and Fa- 
ther of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Wherefore receive ye 
one another, even as Christ also received you, to the 
glory of God. 8 For I say that Christ hath been made 
a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, that 
he might confirm the promises given unto the fathers, 
9 and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; 
as it is written, 

Therefore will I give praise unto thee among the 

Gentiles, 
And sing unto Thy name. 
10 And again he saith, 

Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. 

II And again, 

Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; 
And let all the peoples praise him. 
12 And again, Isaiah saith, 



230 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



There shall be the root of Jesse, 

And he that ariseth to rule over the Gentiles; 

On him shall the Gentiles hope. 

13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace 
in believing, that ye may abound in hope, in the power 
of the Holy Spirit. 

It is not a Christian spectacle to see those who abstain 
from certain things, not sinful in themselves, and those 
who do not so abstain, in two separate camps pouring 
ridicule or censure upon each other. It may greatly in- 
jure the cause of Christ. We are all the recipients of the 
mercy of God in Christ. None of us can boast, it is by 
divine grace that we are what we are. And this supreme 
fact should unite us in a common attitude of adoration 
and praise to Him who hath loved us and given Himself 
for us. As the apostle, in the passage before us, pleads 
for unity between Jewish and Gentile Christians even al- 
though they had different views regarding food and drink, 
so in our own day the things upon which there is room 
for diversity of opinion must not be drawn into a place 
of supreme importance to the injury of our Christian fel- 
lowship and at the same time tending to eclipse the pres- 
ence of our Lord. It is not argument that will finally 
settle these questions, but the presence and spirit of the 
Master inclining hearts to deny themselves for the spirit- 
ual good of others. 

Sunday, Forty-fourth Week, Romans 15 :14-24. 

14 And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, 
that ye yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all 
knowledge, able also to admonish one another. 15 But I 
write the more boldly unto you in some measure, as put- 
ting you again in remembrance, because of the grace that 
was given me of God, 16 that I should me a minister of 
Christ Jesus unto the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of 
God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made 
acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 I have 
therefore my glorifying in Christ Jesus in things pertain- 
ing to God. 18 For I will not dare to speak of any things 
save those which Christ wrought through me, for the obe- 
dience of the Gentiles, by word and deed, 19 in the power 
of signs and wonders, in the power of the Holy Ghost; 
so that from Jerusalem, and round about even unto Illyri- 



BP 1ST LB TO THE ROMANS 



231 



cum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ; 20 yea, 
making it my aim so to preach the gospel, not where 
Christ was already named, that I might not build upon 
another man's foundation; 21 but, as it is written. 
They shall see, to whom no tidings of him came, 
And they who have not heard shall understand. 
22 Wherefore also I was hindered these many times 
from coming to you: 23 but now, having no more any 
place in these regions, and having these many years a 
longing to come unto you, 24 whensoever I go unto Spain 
(for I hope to see you in my journey, and to be brought 
on my way thitherward by you, if first in some measure I 
shall have been satisfied with your company). 

St. Paul's commission as an apostle to the Gentiles, his 
successful service as a pioneer preacher of the universal 
gospel, gave him the right to address the Roman Chris- 
tians upon individual conduct and upon the elemental 
principles of Christianity. He was not a meddlesome per- 
son, and he would not be considered such. He might be 
unknown personally to the church at home, but their 
cause was his cause. He was bound to be interested in 
the Church beyond the sphere of his personal associations, 
for the whole world-wide work was a unity, and whatever 
was close to the heart of his Master in the problem of the 
extension of the Kingdom was his urgent concern. The 
man who takes St. Paul's stand for an interest in the 
cause of Christ far beyond his immediate locality or 
country and beyond his own denominational connection, 
may have to suffer some criticism, but he is simply carry- 
ing out the Christian Spirit. Interest in the purely local 
cause may degenerate into professionalism, while the 
world interest gives more zest and vision for the local 
work. 

Monday, Forty-fourth Week, Romans 15:25-29. 

25 But now, I say, I go unto Jerusalem, ministering unto 
the saints. 26 For it hath been the good pleasure of Mace- 
donia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the 
poor among the saints that are at Jerusalem. 27 Yea, it 
hath been their good pleasure; and their debtors they are. 
For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their 
spiritual things, they owe it to them also to minister unto 
them in carnal things. 28 When therefore I have accom- 



232 PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



plished this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will go 
on by you unto Spain. 29 And I know that, when I come 
unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of 
Christ. 

A world view of the purpose of Christ did not make St. 
Paul forgetful of the local poor. He was concerned that 
the poor at Jerusalem should have bread, and that the 
people in Spain should have the gospel. It was all part 
of one program. It is so still. And those who would sep- 
arate the two causes, local social service and world-wide 
evangelism, have not so learned Christ. What God hath 
joined together let no man put asunder. It is not a sug- 
gestion of choice between the local cause and the uni- 
versal, it is a comprehensive grasp of both of them. And 
in order to do it in the thorough manner in wihch the 
early Church started out to do it, there will no doubt re- 
quire to be a loud call for the conversion of gifts, into 
the service of Christ, which have been lying idle, or which 
the Church has failed to use because there wasmo sphere rec- 
ognized or provided for their exercise. And there need 
be no lowering of the spiritual tone in*the expansion of 
the life of the Church to the breadth of the apostolic 
times. St. Paul is just as much the servant of Christ on 
the way to Jerusalem with money for the poor as on the 
way to Spain with the gospel. But let us not forget the 
case is equally strong when the apostle is on the way to 
Spain. 

Tuesday, Forty-fourth Week, Romans 15 :30-33. 

30 Now I beseech you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus 
Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, that ye strive to- 
gether with me in your prayers to God for me; 31 that I 
may be delivered from*them that are disobedient in Judea, 
and that my ministration which I have for Jerusalem may 
be acceptable to the saints; 32 that I may come unto you 
in joy through the will of God, and together with you find 
rest. 33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. 

St. Paul asked for the prayers of the Roman Christians, 
not only on behalf of his preaching work, but on behalf 
of his benevolent, his social work at Jerusalem. He did 
not feel that the mere giving of money settled the case 
of the poor. There were other delicate elements in the 



EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 



233 



situation, besides the actual giving of money, which only 
the power of the Spirit could control. 

And in our present-day social work the apostle has 
here a message for us. It is well that the work should be 
scientifically done, but even when that has been achieved 
there is sometimes a very strong sense on the part of 
workers that something is lacking. That there is need for 
a warmth, a spiritual pow r er, back of all the excellent sci- 
entific administration and work in social service. 

If more of our social work were baptized with more 
earnest prayer it might not only realize greater results, 
but it would provide spiritual atmosphere into which 
many more workers would be willing to go to work, who 
have been accustomed to such an atmosphere in all their 
labors, and without it they feel out of their true element. 

Wednesday, Forty-fourth Week, Romans 16:1-16. 

1 I commend unto you Phoebe our sister, who is a serv- 
ant of the church that is at Cenchrae; 2 that ye receive 
her in the Lord, worthily of the saints, and that ye assist 
her in whatsoever matter she may have need of you: for 
she herself also hath been a helper of many, and of 
mine own self. 

3 Salute Prisca and Aquila my fellow-workers in Christ 
Jesus, 4 who for my life laid down their own necks; unto 
whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of 
the Gentiles: 5 and salute the church that is in their 
house. Salute Epaenetus my beloved, who is the firstfruits 
of Asia unto Christ. 6 Salute Mary, who bestowed much 
labor on you. 7 Salute Andronicus and Junias, my kins- 
men, and my fellow-prisoners, who are of note among the 
apostles, who also have been in Christ before me. 8 Sa- 
lute Ampliatus my beloved in the Lord. 9 Salute Ur- 
banus our fellow-worker in Christ, and Stachys my be- 
loved. 10 Salute Apelles the approved in Christ. Salute 
them that are of the household of Aristobulus. 11 Sa- 
lute Herodion my kinsman. Salute them of the household 
of Narcissus, that are in the Lord. 12 Salute Tryphaena 
and Tryphosa, who labor in the Lord. Salute Persis the 
beloved, who labored much in the Lord. 13 Salute 
Rufus the chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. 
14 Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Her- 
nias, and the brethren that are with them. 15 Salute Phil- 
ologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and 
all the saints that are with them. 16 Salute one another 



234 



PAUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE 



with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ salute you. 

It is not within our province to discuss the question as 
to whether this chapter is part of the original epistle, 
which some contend it is not. It is distinctly according 
to the spirit of St. Paul to commend an individual worker 
to the fellowship, and helpful cooperation of the Church. 

The apostle never lost sight of the individual in the 
midst of all the largeness of his outlook. And he never 
lost any opportunity to have the Kingdom advanced 
through the efforts of individuals. There would be 
fewer Christian workers, that backslide when they change 
their residence, if they were commended as Phcebe was 
commended to the local church. There are men and 
women who were useful servants of Christ and the church 
in one town who almost entirely dropped out of all Chris- 
tian work when they went to reside in another town. It 
may or may not have been their fault. But the fact re- 
mains that there was a loss of service and a loss of spir- 
itual power in the individual life. 

Thursday, Forty-fourth Week, Romans 16:17-27. 

17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them that are 
causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary 
to the doctrine which ye learned: and turn away from 
them. 18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Christ, 
but their own belly; and by their smooth and fair speech 
they beguile the hearts of the innocent. 19 For your obe- 
dience is come abroad unto all men. I rejoice therefore 
over you: but I would have you wise unto that which is 
good, and simple unto that which is evil. 20 And the God 
of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 

21 Timothy my fellow-worker saluteth you; and Lucias 
and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen. 22 I Tertius, who 
write the epistle, salute you in the Lord. 23 Gaius my 
host, and of the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus the 
treasurer of the city saluteth you, and Quartus the brother. 

25 Now to him that is able to establish you according to 
my Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according 
to the revelation of the mystery which hath been kept in 
silence through times eternal, 26 but now is manifested, 
and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the 
commandment of the eternal God, is made known unto all 
the nations unto obedience of faith; 27 to the only wise 



EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 



235 



God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever. 
Amen. 

As the years go and come a Christian dare not have lax 
views of the Christian life. There are severities in Christ 
as well as words of forgiving grace. The Christian life is 
not mere good nature. It may be that during this year 
there have been influences tolerated upon our lives which 
have not been for our good, that we have tolerated 
influences in our community which have been harmful, 
simply because we lacked the courage to deal with them. 
We felt it easier to let things drift than to protest. It 
was not so much the exercise of charity as the triumph 
of cowardice. The swift flight of time summons us to ac- 
tion. We must sometimes precipitate a crisis if the cause 
of Christ is in us, and the world is to be advanced. It is 
sometimes only in the exercise of the courage which a 
crisis demands that the grace of God has free course in 
us, and that the Christian messages of the epistle can 
really help us. 

Heavenly Father, who by Thy grace hast revealed Thy- 
self through Jesus Christ, give me the courage at this time 
to take whatever step Thy Spirit urges upon me to take. 
And as I am in the attitude of obedience, may Thy presence 
and power find no obstacle in me to the complete fulfilment 
of Thy will. 



Christ in Everyday Life 

Personal and Social Applications 

EDWARD I. BOSWORTH 
Uniform with Paul in Everyday Life. 

Postpaid, 50 cents. 

Divided into sections : Beginnings; The Personal 
Consciousness of Jesus; Parables of the Kingdom; 
Training Disciples; Finding the Lost; Answering 
Hard Questions; Standards of Judgment; Death 
and Resurrection. 

A unique arrangement of Bible text and com- 
ment for daily devotional use, covering thirty-five 
weeks. A few verses for each day's reading — as 
much as the mind and spirit can take in, think 
through and feel through at one time. A paragraph 
of comment for suggested meditation so personally 
practical that it can scarcely fail, if honestly 
applied, to bring results in the active hours when 
there is not time for meditation. 

BITS OF COMMENT ON THIS BOOK 

"Bible reading and Bible study are well combined in 
this tasteful little volume. Professor Bos worth has per- 
formed a real service in making the words of the Master 
luminous, both by his own comment and by happy quota- 
tions in prose and poetry." — Record of Christian Work. 

"The comments are short but bear each of them a 
tremendous weight of truth. The prayers are heart 
searching. The book is a sort of mute confessor. It 
cuts deep sometimes; it will disturb the best of men 
always. " — Intercollegian. 

"We would commend it as a book fitted, with God's 
blessing, to help men to a better appreciation of our Lord 
and to inspire them to a closer walk with Him, and to more 
diligent service for Him." — Christian Workers' Magazine. 



ASSOCIATION PRESS 

NEW YORK: 124 East 28th Street 

LONDON : 47 Paternoster Row, E. C. 



FEB 28 1912 




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